Apocrypha
by LoneTaker
Summary: What if Asta never got to see Yuno become the Wizard King? What would Yuno do without Asta? How would the world of Black Clover be, without the hero that it needed? And above all else, can this world survive without Asta? The lost saga of magic's twilight is nigh...
1. Saga 1: For Whom the Bell Tolls

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 1: For Whom the Bell Tolls**

* * *

 **Hage Grimoire Tower, Clover Kingdom, Forsaken Realm (Evening)**

* * *

 _ **PAIN.**_

All Asta can feel on his chest was the blood dripping out of his wound and the air escaping his now-punctured lungs.

His vision was _blurring_ , his muscles were slowly going _numb_ and _cold_ , and all he can hear from his _fading_ hearing was his killer's _maniacal laughter_ and Yuno's _pained_ cries.

 _"Sister... Yuno... Everyone back at Hage..."_ His mind tries to muster up the last of its fading strength as his other foot was slowly setting into the grave.

 **"KHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"** Revchi was outright _reveling_ in the death of the ash-haired boy.

Previously, the youngster had tried to stop him from stealing Yuno's 4-Leaf Grimoire that he had received during the annual ceremony at the Grimoire Tower. But unlike his brother-in-bond, Asta wasn't able to receive his own, but even then, he tried not to lose heart in the face of this. Once going outside, the bandit mage ambushed Yuno with his [Chain Creation Magic: Magic Binding Iron Chain Formation], takes his grimoire, and proceeded to gloat about how he's going to sell it to the highest bidder, _out loud_.

Upon heating the man's treachery, Asta tries to save him, but he was quickly knocked back by his [Chain Creation Magic: Dance of the Pitless Viper], then got mocked for having _zero_ mana in him, and even with that crushing revelation, Asta refused to bend to his will, then made a last desperate charge towards him, only to be impaled through his chest by his magic.

Even with _both_ of his feet in the grave, Asta couldn't find himself to give up now.

After all, if he gave up on life now, then what's the point of his training towards his dream of being the next Wizard King?

Let alone, in front of _Yuno_ , out all people!?

 **He's his rival, dammit!**

With that reassurance in mind, Asta uses the last of his ebbing energy to do what's right.

And that is to stop this horrible man from stealing Yuno's faith, hope, love, luck, and above all, his _future_.

"Not... yet..." Asta's wounded and impaled body rose up onto its feet from the the cobblestone floor.

"WHAT THE HELL!? MY [Chain Creation Magic: Manhunter Iron Chain Javelins] SHOULD'VE FINISHED YOU OFF, YOU MANA-LESS VERMIN!"

Asta's mangled body trudges forward toward the now _beyond-terrified Revchi_ and _Yuno_.

"Not yet... Not yet..." Asta's voice becomes hoarser with every feeble step that his _nigh-mortem_ body takes. He then make one last desperate charge toward him.

 **"NOT YEEEEEETTTT!"**

Revchi's _fear_ suddenly turns to _disgust_.

"Shut up, you vermin." His grimoire _flutters_ open its pages.

"[Chain Creation Magic: Eviscerator]." A _rotary blade_ made of chains with _teeth-like blades_ lining on its sides formed on the back of right arm and the spinning blade digs into Asta's shoulder, then his chest, and finally, out of his lower left rib.

"Just shut up..."

Asta's _now-mutilated_ body falls lifelessly onto the stone floor below.

 **"AND STOP AND NOTICE THAT YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!"** Revchi goes into a maddened frenzy as then flails his demented weapon onto Asta's back, haphazardly hacking into his spine, _spraying_ pieces of bone, flesh, blood, and bile all over the stone walls and floor.

And all Yuno can do was just watch helplessly.

After Asta's body was _defiled_ beyond recognition, Revchi turns to Yuno with a _crazed_ expression, _void of all sanity_.

"You know, I was planning to just take grimoire and leave you be in your shitty little life in the boonies. But after all this shit that just happened, plans have _changed_." Revchi's words begin to drip with _venom_. "So in other words..." The bandit then _charges_ towards him with the now- _bloodstained_ magic weapon.

 **"TIME KISS YOUR LIFE GOODBYE! KHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**

 _"This it it for me."_ Yuno thought. _"Asta... Sister... Everyone..."_

Death is now at _inches_ away from him.

 _"I..."_

 **"DIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"**

 _ **"I WANT TO LIVE!"**_

Yuno closes his eyes, but he then opens his eyes to see that the psycho's _whole right leg_ being severed off... by _wind_.

From his _grimoire_ , from Revchi's belt, out of all things.

 **"GYAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"** Revchi screams in pain, flailing on the ground as his arms and his remaining other leg were sporadically dancing on their own. **"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!?"** A pool of blood begins to form next to his leg's stub.

Yuno then notices that his binding were being to feel a _lot_ looser then before. He then notices that the bindings were accidentally cut off by the bandit's blade during his flailing. Yuno then takes this opportunity to completely free himself and snatch his grimoire off of his loose belt. He then gains distance away from the bandit and prepares his counterattack.

 **"YOU MONSTER!"** Yuno roared out with all of his _righteous rage_. His grimoire opens up, revealing a new spell that answered to his desire to avenge his fallen brother and rival.

 **"[Wind Magic: Turbulence Fang Howling]!"**

A _violent_ _vortex_ of wind blasted towards the fallen Revchi.

Revchi makes his last desperate stand against the enraged Yuno and the oncoming storm.

"[Chain Creation Magic: Rock-Shattering Anchors]!"

Numerous gigantic anchors shoot from the fallen bandit's grimoire. The metal anchors meet the storm.

The anchors are shredded into _shrapnel_ upon entering the eye of the storm.

With the last figments of his hope of survival all but _destroyed_ like his mighty anchors, the bandit mage was devoured by the vortex and shredded into _mincemeat_ in a matter of _seconds_.

"Huff... Huff... I... I did it..." Yuno then falls onto his hands and knees, and proceeds to vomit on the cobblestone earth.

Yuno couldn't get the thought of seeing _two_ people being horrifically murdered right in front of him today. The burdensome stress on his mind was almost too much to bear. But above all else, only one question stood in his mind;

 _Can he really justify this horrific act of violence as self-defense?_

"Yuno! Asta!"" A familiar voice called out.

It was Sister Lily's.

Yuno tries to get up, but his legs were trembling too hard to even let him stand.

Yuno then hears a gasp, and sees Sister's _horrified_ expression to the carnage that just passed by around Yuno.

"S-s-s-s-s-SISTER! IT'S NOT WHAT IT-"

Sister Lily tightly embraces Yuno with tears streaming down her eyes. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." She sobbed out. "I'm so sorry..."

"Sister..." Yuno whimpered out. "Asta..." He then feebly points toward the _mangled_ corpse of his brother.

Sister Lily then looks at the corpse, only to turn away in _horror_ , and scrambles toward the nearest ditch or bush to vomit into.

"Yuno-onii-chan! Asta-onii-chan!" From the bushes emerged the orphans from the Church.

Upon the orphans seeing Asta's _butchered_ body, Nash falls to his knees in disbelief with a horrified expression on his face, Recca dashes towarde Sister Lily and cries with her, and Aruru along with Hollo _freeze_ in their tracks, _traumatized_.

Yuno then sees Father Orsi also emerge from the same thicket where the orphans came out from.

"Yuno!" He dashes toward the fair youth and tearfully embraces him. "Thank goodness that you're alright..." He whispers.

"But Asta..."

"Enough of that, at least you're still alive-"

Sister Lily _slaps_ Father Orsi in the face.

"HOW COULD YOU EVEN SAY THAT TO YUNO'S FACE!? HAVE YOU NO SHAME!?" Sister _fumed_. "DID ASTA EVER MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU!?"

Father Orsi was stunned into silence. To him, Asta may have been a mana-less wretch who would be dead in short notice weren't for his intervention, and his fears/expectations were _vindicated_ right in front of him.

That still didn't change the fact that one of the boys that he raised for over a _decade_ was dead, nor can he deny that he was _crushed_ by his inability to do prevent it in the first place.

But the question still stands; _did he really mean anything to him?_

The storm of mixed emotions of _unfathomable turmoil_ and _sadistic pleasure_ permeated his very soul at this moment. Father backs away from Sister and Yuno in _shame_.

"What now, Sister?" Yuno muttered out.

Sister Lily wipes the tears from her eyes. "Take him back with us and give him a proper burial." She limps herself back on her feet. "It's the most we can do."

Yuno nods as he also gets back up to his feet and stumbles toward Asta.

But just as he was about to reach out to his fallen brother, the stone wall next to him suddenly _explodes_.

"EVERYONE! GET BACK!" Yuno exclaimed as he prepares his grimoire once more against the new foe.

From the dust emerged a tall, lanky humanoid creature made of pure darkness. Its hair was wild and wavy like weeds from the fields, its eyes, teeth, and claws were sharp as knives, and its wings were broad and large like the church's bedsheets.

But above all else, this... _creature_ , had an almost _otherworldly_ presence to it. As if it shouldn't something that should've existed in the minds of mere mortals.

Combined with the fact that it had an _nigh-uncanny resemblance_ to the _demon_ from the fairy tale that Sister Lily read to him and Asta back at their time at church, Yuno can only draw one conclusion.

It was an actual _demon_.

The shadowy Demon looks at Asta's corpse and reaches out towards it with its clawed hands.

Yuno flies into rage. **"[Wind Magic: Vacuum Grenade]!"** Yuno then throws a ball of pressurized air toward the Demon, and upon physical contact, the ball explodes a sharp burst of gust, causing the demon to be... _not_ fazed in the slightest.

 **"[Wind Magic: Crescent Moon Sickle]!"** Yuno swings both of his arms outwards, sending a crescent blade of wind towards the demon.

The Demon responds by parrying the air blade with its claws, dissipating it.

Yuno stands frozen upon the realization that his spells are rendered useless against this foul entity. A four-leaf grimoire, once used by the first Wizard King to slay the demon and save mankind, but yet here he is, with the same power, same adversity, but different stakes, with _inversed_ results.

"[Water Creation Magic: Holy Strike of Love]!" A giant fist made of water flies toward the demon, but this time around, the demon bobs and weaves under the punch, and drives a sharp punch of his own through Sister Lily's stomach, sending her _barreling_ towards the stone walls.

"SISTER!" The church group cries out. Her mouth is choked with blood and her eyes were gaped open in a agony.

"[Fire Recovery Magic: Hearth of Respite]!" Father Orsi opens his grimoire and numerous small wisps of flame surround Sister Lily's broken, but still breathing form. "Hang in there!" Father then inputs more mana into his healing flames.

The demon meanwhile, takes advantage of the chaos, and snatches Asta's body from the pavement.

Yuno, upon seeing this, runs toward the demon holding Asta over its shoulder slowly begins to take flight. As he reaches out towards Asta, he grabs onto the demon's arm right before the demon itself kicks Yuno off of its arm.

Yuno catches himself mid-fall with his [Wind Creation Magic: Cushion Cloud] and uses his [Wind Magic] to boost himself upward to reach the demon holding Asta's body.

Yuno then reaches out toward Asta, only for him to grab his _headband_ as it slips off of his head.

The demon lets out a shrill shriek before rending Yuno with his other clawed hand, causing him to lose focus on his magic as blood sprays out of his fresh cuts across his chest, and fall towards the hard cobblestone ground.

 _"Asta..."_

As the demon flies off toward the sunset with Asta's corpse in tow, all he feels on his back was the sensation of him hitting the cobblestone ground before blacking out.

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So... a _few_ things.

First, I had this idea brewing in my head for about a couple months. All of which include original characters (Names, Magic, Etc), headcannons (Raise your hand if you're not the only one bothered about the lack of lore of Diamond Kingdom, Spade Kingdom, Heart Kingdom, and Yami's homeland), and amongst other shit that I've drafted on my free time.

Second, will I continue on Nerve Damage: Season 2? Answer; I'm having too much fun to even stop.

Third, this is an AU/What-if fic and as time passes by (for context: Black Clover gets a new chapter every week), it might lean toward AU in terms of lore (headcannons really, I mean, the demons are up and center for this fic).

Fourth, let's just say that I'm going to put at least a good chunk of canon and original characters on the chopping block. If Tabata says in his interview that he took inspirations from Lord of the Rings for his general setting, then I'm heading toward Game of Thrones as my general tone direction.

Because f*cking reasons. Also the fact that there's a small part of me that wants to write a _deconstruction fic_ of Black Clover.

Finally, after all the shit above, you may ask; "Am I f*cking insane?"

HAVE YOU EVER READ MY NERVE DAMAGE CONTINUATION FIC!?

 _Rhetorical question_ ; Of course I am f*cking insane.

I'm pretty much walking on a minefield blindfolded at this point, but who knows;

I might come out _partially_ intact.

If you have any questions, ask me. I like to hear on what you have to say about my Black Clover AU fic.


	2. Saga 2: Wake me Up When September Ends

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 2: Wake Me Up When September Ends**

* * *

 **Hage Church Orphanage, Clover Kingdom, Forsaken Realm (Midnight)**

* * *

Yuno slowly opens his eyes, and wakes up to see a _familiar-looking_ wooden ceiling.

He realizes that he back at the church orphanage. He then tries to get up, but the stinging pain on his chest prevented him from going any further up. Yuno pats down his chest, feeling cloth wrapped around him.

The fact that his chest was bandaged in the first place confirms that everything that just happened was indeed _real_.

They did see an _actual demon_ right front of their eyes, Asta's dead body was taken away by said demon, Yuno tried to stop it, but failed, and Sister Lily was injured during the-

"SISTER!" He yells out in the dark room. Yuno struggles to scramble out of his sheets and back onto his feet on the cold stone surface. He tries to walk straight, but he collapses on the floor.

He then hears footsteps coming from behind him. Yuno turns his head, and sees Father with a lamp in his hands.

"Father Orsi, where's Sister?"

"She's currently resting. It was by God's grace that she was saved." Father Orsi said with a solemn look. He then extends his hand toward Yuno. He grabs the hand and slings his arm over Father's shoulders.

"Where is it?"

"What do you mean?" Father replied.

"The headband... Asta's headband..." Yuno slowly peters out.

Father Orsi drags Yuno by his shoulders, lays his body up on one of the chapel's benches, spreads the fallen bedsheet over Yuno, and ties _Asta's_ beat-up headband around his wrist.

A faint smile blossoms on Yuno's face.

 _"This is the least I can do..."_ A single tear trickles down Father's cheek.

* * *

 **Unknown Location (Unknown Time)**

* * *

 _ **"WAUKUKUP BIACVCH!?"**_

"AUGHHHHH!" Asta sprang up from the floor upon hearing the _unholy_ voice _ringing_ in his ears. He looks around the _alien_ surroundings.

 _Nothing_. There was _nothing_ around him.

No trees, no sun, no moon, no clouds, no ground, no _color_.

The whole world around him is completely _empty_ and _monochrome_.

 _ **"HEY!"**_

Asta flinches from the same _eldritch_ voice. "GAH! WHO THE HELL IS TALKING TO ME!?" He yelled out.

 ** _"So do lat wiukh avo know nalkriuk jiak kij-"_** The voice cuts itself off for a moment. _**"Ehhh... Sorry about that. I guess you still can't make out Daemontongue, can you?"**_

"WAIT, WHAT!?" Asta yells out. "NEVERMIND THAT, JUST WHO THE HELL IS TALKING TO ME AND WHERE THE HELL AM I!?"

 ** _"JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME EXPLAIN, YOU FUCKING NIMROD!"_**

Silence.

The voice takes a breath.

 _ **"Who am I, not relevant, but I'll tell you when I fucking feel like it. Where you are, here's a fucking hint: it's where people go when they're fucking dead."**_

"So is this Heaven?"

 ** _"..."_**

"Is this Hell?"

 _ ***slap***_

"..."

 ** _"..."_**

"... Where am I, then?"

 ** _"Ugh... this is going take a lot longer then I thought..."_** The disembodied voice inhales sharply. **_"Fuck it. I'm winging it."_** The voice around Asta clears its... _non-existent_ throat?

 ** _"Welcome to the Limbo, you son of a bitch."_** The voice echoes in a jovial tone.

"What's Limbo?" Asta says in a simpleton tone.

 ** _"Allow me to explain."_** The voice says in a resigned tone. **_"Limbo is a place where souls go when both Heaven and Hell reject them post-mortem. But nowadays, the_** ** _vacancy here is starting to get a little too generous..."_ **The voice pauses for a moment before continuing to speak. ** _"But regardless, you're here, so I shall deliver the following; I have a bad news and good news."_**

"REALLY!? WHAT'S THE GOOD NEWS!?" Asta's eyes begin to twinkle like little stars.

 _ **"I suppose that you figured out that the 'bad news' is that you're dead. So let me get the good news out of the way."**_

"THEN LET'S HEAR IT!" Asta's hype level goes beyond its limits.

 ** _"You get a second shot at life!"_**

"THAT'S TOTALLY AWESOME!"

 _ **"But there's a catch, buddy."**_

"LIKE I GIVE A SHIT! NO MATTER WHAT IT IS, I'LL BUST RIGHT THROUGH IT!"

 ** _"Alright little guy, I guess that means I can skip the exposition and get to the good shit."_**

A stone embedding a large, rusted broadsword appears before Asta.

 _ **"First, the ground rules."**_ The voice echoed around Asta. _ **"Once you pull out that big-ass sword from the rock, let's just say that you better hope that you know how use it in the first place, because once that threshold is passed, I'm cutting connections with you, assuming that you live."**_

"Wait, what?"

 _ **"JUST PULL OUT THE FUCKING SWORD, YOU DUMBASS!"**_

Asta then approaches the sword embedded in the rock. He then grabs the sword by the handle, proceeds to pull it out.

"C'MON, YOU STUPID PIECE OF METAL!" Asta continues to pull on the metal handle. "Not yet..." The sword then begins to _move_.

 **"NOT YEEEEEETTT!"** The sword is now freed from its stone prison and into Asta's hands, it was claimed as _his_.

 _ **"All right! Nice job, kiddo."**_ The voice echoed out.

"I'M NOT A KIDDO! MY NAME IS ASTA, DAMMIT!"

 _ **"Don't care, moving on."**_ The voice then pauses for a moment once more. **_"So, you know about the thing that I said. You know, 'know how to use that hunk of scrap metal in your hands'?"_**

"What about it?" Asta spoke to the monochromatic void.

The area in front of him begins to ripple and bubble. From the pool emerged a _familiar_ face.

Long black hair, torn and worn cloak that covered his whole frame, and a lanky frame that made him look impish as a man can come.

 **"Revchi."**

 _ **"DING-DING-DING! THAT'S RIGHT, NYUCKA!"**_ The disembodied voice _boomed_ across the void. _**"But not really. Like for instance:"**_

A sharp finger snap _reverberates_ throughout Limbo.

 ** _"Exhibit A."_**

Revchi's frame begins to _contort_ and _spasm_ as if something was about to _burst_ out of his body.

The _muffled_ cries of his agony is heard from his bloating body. Asta glances at his eyes, and sees that they're slowly turning to the _back of his head_.

Revchi was no more, and in his place was a gigantic cloaked figure _levitating_ above the monochrome ocean. There were chains with pointed tips floating around him the figure, almost like _snakes_ ready to strike their prey. His face was replaced with a _black visage_ with only a pair of glowing purple eyes.

 ** _"Here we are, sport."_** The voice reverberated. ** _"The 'catch' that I've mentioned before."_**

"WHAT'S THE CATCH!?" Asta yells out.

 ** _"Uuuugggghhhh... Really?"_** The voice groans in an _exasperated_ tone. _**"Fine, I'll put it in a way that you might understand."**_

 _ **"Grab onto that sword of yours..."**_

Asta then clenches his sword in his hands...

 _ **"Because your second chance ain't gonna come twice..."**_

...ready to fight for his _second chance_ in life.

 ** _"SO GET READY TO FIGHT DEATH ITSELF!"_**

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I've never said that I _completely_ disregarded Lord of the Rings, now did I?

I'm utilizing Tolkien's Black Speech as "Daemontounge", because I don't how to replicate Berserker's own Black Speech from Fate/Stay Night.

Also, I don't have Microsoft Word.

On an unrelated note, I'm naming each chapter of this fic after song titles from the classic rock to early 21st century era.

Because I'm also a JoJo trash (but please leave me some title name suggestions if you have any).

Please, leave me some comments, for I like to know what you guys think.


	3. Saga 3: Friend of the Devil

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 3: Friend of the Devil**

* * *

 **Limbo**

* * *

 ** _"Godspeed, you scrawny bastard."_** The voice then goes completely silent.

In front of Asta stands/floats the thing that killed him.

In other words, _his_ "Death".

 **"BRING IT ON MOTHERFUCKER!"** Asta charges towards Death with the broadsword in hand.

Death swings out his arms, sending the orbiting chains towards the charging youth.

Asta parries the shooting pointed chains, but a few nick and graze his arms and legs.

"YOU THINK THAT'S GONNA WORK!? BECAUSE I AIN'T GOT TIME TO BLEED WITH MY LIFE ON THE LINE!"

Asta then swings his blade towards the cloaked giant, cutting through the fabric, revealing nothing but plumes of black smoke.

The figure lets out a _hollow_ roar, sending more pointed chains towards his direction.

And this time, they hit their intended mark. The points jut through Asta's shoulders, arms, legs, and practically _everywhere else_. The boy drops his blade onto the void below him.

"Damn it... _not again..._ " Asta's strength begins to _fade_ away as the chains begin to suspend his body.

But not really.

Asta grabs the chains with his impaled arms, and begins to pull himself towards Death.

"You know... it's kinda funny, really." Asta continues to tug the bundle of chains closer to the cloaked figure. "I found your _weakness_."

Death then spouts out _more_ pointed chains from his sleeves, but this time, Asta doesn't stop even when punctured in more places.

"It was so simple... that you disregarded it." Asta coughed out. "You're just like everyone else back there; calling us weak, telling us to stay in the boonies, and telling us that we can't dream. But so what?"

Asta then jerks the chains pierced through his body, inching Death _closer_ towards _him_.

 **"That's _your_ world, jackass. Not even remotely different from everyone else's that talked us down." **His eyes then blaze with light once more. His muscles now flowing with life yet again. His voice _boomed_ across the empty Limbo. **"But now, you're in _my_ world. And you wanna know what happens in my world?"**

Asta can honestly hear a faint sound of Death, _whimpering_.

 **"You're no _Death_ , Revchi. And I ain't sure as hell dead yet. In other words..." **Asta then gives the chains a really hard tug, dragging Death towards _him_. Asta then winds back his arm, balls his hand into a fist, and _slugs_ it into his black visage of a face.

 **"PSYCHE, BITCH!"** As the cloaked figure is sent reeling back, the chains pierced into Asta's body pull themselves out of his flesh, and the boy himself hits the void below him, _right next to where his sword was dropped_.

Asta picks up the rusted broadsword, drags the blade toward the fallen "Death", as the so-called "Death" was slowly reverting back to the pathetic bandit that he once was.

Asta just have had enough of this crap.

"P-PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" The aspiration of Revchi begged.

Asta thrusts the broadsword through the bandit's chest, now this time, Asta is the one doing the _heavy lifting_.

 _ **"Whoa!"**_ The disembodied voice called out. _ **"I guess you passed. Gratz, motherfucker!"**_ The voice then starts... _clapping_?

Asta remained silent. Blood drips from the bandit's impaled corpse.

 _ **"Uhh... what's wrong, buddy? Too choked up on your own tears to say anything?"**_

"No. It's just... why do people like him exist?"

 _ **"Pardon?"**_

Asta drops his sword onto the floor with Revchi still impaled through it.

"People like him... people who are so head over heels from their own power... people who prey upon the weak for their own amusement..." Asta pauses for a moment to pull out his blade out of the bandit's corpse.

"People who are stuck in their own little world."

 ** _"I'll tell you why._ _It's because of magic."_**

Asta then looks up, ready to listen to what the voice has to say.

 _ **"From the moment that mortals obtained the knowledge of magic, it had opened various doors that they never fathomed."**_

"What was it?" Asta asked.

 _ **"A world without meaningless war. A world without omnipresent death. A world without fruitless conquest. A world without rampant famine. From that moment, the world drastically changed. People were flourishing, knowledge was blooming, civilization was spreading, and harvests were plentiful. The world of the living was reaching heights never imagined by the previous era. They finally learned the meaning of the word 'hope'."**_

"What's wrong with that?" Asta replied.

 _ **"One word: complacency."**_

"What's that word even mean?"

 _ **"People eventually grew lazy, to the point where they now pray for every day to be the same. After all, it's all a collective mentality 'Why change what's currently good?'"**_

"Lazy? But I saw farmers on the field working the fields day in and day out!"

 _ **"Did you know that hoes, spades, and axes were meant to be used by hand?"**_

Asta was shocked into silence. He clearly recalls that the same farmers never used their hands at all when they were toiling in the fields.

 _ **"Eventually, those will cease to exist, and every other tools of trade and toil will vanish. Mortals will eventually lose what made them special in the first place, so you know what they do to subconsciously to forget even that?"**_

"What is it?"

 _ **"They create meaningless wars, they bring omnipresent death, they march towards futile conquests, and they devour until famine runs rampant, just so that their focus can be led elsewhere."**_

Asta is now stricken with pure _horror_. "... Why?"

 _ **"Better question; 'Why not?' It's part of their base nature to take more then they need, but ever since they laid their hands on magic, that little tick in their souls just grew fat in in the past millennium. From magic came peace. From peace came complacency. From complacency bred boredom. From boredom aroused sin. From sin comes stagnation. From stagnation, an endless cycle of violence and greed that all life on this plane of existence cannot escape, assuming that they wanted out in the first place."**_ The voice sighs for a moment before continuing. _**"Look kid. I don't care if you believe me or not, but the point is, people like rat-ass over there are a dime in a dozen. They. Are. Everywhere."**_

"N-NO! Sister Lily and the others back at church aren't like that!"

The disembodied voice lets out another exasperated sigh. _**"You want proof? Fine. Let's summarize your last 4 hours of your life and see what can we pick up from it."**_

Asta then begins to hear _familiar_ voices echoing in his head.

 _ **"Leave me alone already!"**_

 ** _"Asta, you're funny!"_**

"Stop it..."

 ** _"You do know that people are making fun of you, right?"_**

 ** _"Try again next year."_**

 ** _"ZERO! YOU HAVE ZERO MANA!"_**

 ** _"In this world, magic is everything."_**

"Stop it..."

 ** _"Ridiculous."_**

Asta falls to his knees and his head slumps over, dropping his sword.

 _ **"Like I said kiddo, dime a dozen."**_

No response.

 _ **"... You want that second chance now? Because your other option is to wander in this barren void until the heat death of all creation."**_

 _"I know what to now..."_

 ** _"What's that buddy? Can't hear ya when you're mumbling."_**

"I said I know what to do now." Asta slowly rises to his feet, pulls out his broadsword from the corpse, and strengthens his grip on the handle. "So what you're saying is that..."

 ** _"Is what? C'mon, spill it."_**

"... is to _destroy_ all magic. Am I right?" Asta smiles with a newfound purpose.

The voice then begins to clap. The clapping goes on for a good while until it stops itself.

 _ **"You passed, kid."**_

"Eh?"

 _ **"I SAID YOU FUCKING PASSED, YOU NIMROD!"**_

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"

 ** _"You honestly almost scared me there for a second, kid. I mean, I thought I had to wait for another cycle to pass to try again. But hey! You did me a solid, Asta."_** The voice sighs out once again, composing itself. **_"So in turn, I shall do you a solid by revealing who I am. You're welcome, by the way."_**

In front of Asta, a pool of the monochrome void begins to bubble and ripple. Rising from the surface, was a figure that was similar in build, height, looks, gender, and age in _Asta_.

By _similar_ , the two were almost _indistinguishable_ from one another.

The only difference from the two was that one had a black tattoo printed on his right cheek to his eyebrow, his arms and face were littered with scars, his hair was more sky bluish-white to Asta's ash gray, and he had a pair of large, black, bird wings coming out of his back.

"The name's Roth. Nice finally seeing you face to face." The now-revealed Roth extended his hand to Asta.

"Yeah... nice to meet you..." Asta slowly shakes his hand before yanking it back. "W-W-WAIT A MINUTE, WHY THE HELL DO YOU LOOK LIKE ME!?"

"I'm your preincarnation, dumbass."

"Ehh?"

"I'M YOU, BUT FROM A PAST LIFE!"

"Oh." Asta pounds his fist onto his open palm. "Then what are those wings for?"

"I'm a Demon. A Fallen Angel, specifically."

 **"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"**

"Surprised?"

"WHY SHOULDN'T I BE!?" Asta was freaking out over this shocking revelation that his past life was a _demon_ , out of all things.

"Look, I know that you have that propaganda of that _'the First Wizard King killed the Demon God, saved mankind'_ , among the similar sounding garbage nailed shoulder-deep into your and everyone else's noggins." Roth massages his temples with a "And even though I would like to explain everything to on why and how that is _warped_ beyond recognition, but there are other demons outside of this shithole that can explain all that crap better then me. Once that knowledge is bequeathed upon you, you'll eventually find out for yourself on how butchered the mortal history is as you go about your merry way in your new life."

"Wait, so what you're saying is that _everything_ that I've heard and learned about magic was a _lie_?" Asta questioned.

"Not entirely, but if you wish to know what the world's really like, then I have a proposal for you." Roth offered. "Go outside, take the second chance, and once you do, I myself will be merged with your soul. After that, find a black bird and follow it until it perches on a dead tree with other birds."

"So wait, does that mean-"

"You've got anything to say to me before I go?"

Asta was shocked. The demon, whom he was taught by the church that they were the embodiment of pure evil and the ones responsible for almost destroying the world, has just now treated him with _genuine kindness_.

Crude, yes. But still, for the past few moments of being with him, Roth has given him more attention and _reciprocation_ then anyone else he met in the living world.

There was only one thing he could do.

Asta embraces his past life. Tears stream from his eyes and down on his cheeks.

"Thanks for everything..."

Roth embraces back. "Take care of Ravager for me, would ya?"

"What?"

"You know, that big-ass sword that you're holding. I named it _'Ravager'_." Roth points toward the rusted broadsword. "Stole it from a dead elf a millennia ago, cuts through all things magic-related like hot knife through butter."

"Wait, elf?"

"You'll figure it out soon enough." Roth assured. "So, shouldn't be going?"

"Yeah, I guess." Asta paused for a moment. "WAIT A MINUTE, HOW THE HELL DO I GET OUT OF HERE!?"

Roth lets out a sigh before letting out another shrill whistle. As the whistle reverberated throughout the empty world, the ocean of black and white begins to bubble around them, and soon enough, solid footing was replaced with a _bottomless pool_.

"HEY!" Asta was flailing to stay afloat while Roth was flying above him. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?"

"The only way to leave Limbo." Roth stated. "You need not to struggle, just let the literal flow of causality absorb you and guide you to your next destination."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!?"

"You'll have to drown to the other side." Asta freaks out at that moment as his splashes get more intense. "But fear not, just close your eyes and it'll be over in an instant."

Asta stops flailing.

A moment of calm appears on his face.

He nods at Roth. Roth nods back.

He then smiles at Roth for a moment before giving him a thumbs-up as he slowly submerges into the monochrome ocean, into the the pitch-black void where no one can see him.

"Good luck Asta." Roth's body then begins to _dissipate_ into black particles from the feet up.

 _"Finish what we've failed to complete, you boisterous fuck..."_

Limbo returns to its barren state once more.

A single teardrop hits the now-solid ground, the _final_ semblance of life echoing in this lifeless world, _fleeting away_.

* * *

 **Hage, Church Orphanage, Clover Kingdom, Forsaken Realm (Afternoon)**

* * *

It has been over half a day since they saw Asta leave this world. The whole church was _deathly quiet_. No one was speaking, no one was moving, and no one was even smiling.

No one, except Yuno, who was just outside, splitting wood, with an ax in his hands.

He been at it ever since this morning, working tirelessly, with all of those injuries surrounding his body.

Right to him was a large stack of chopped wood. It was not as much compared to when he used magic to split a log, but that was the point.

With Asta now gone, Yuno now has to take up his burden, by doing it the way _he_ would do it.

It was for the sake of preserving his memory of his fallen rival and brother.

 _"Asta..."_ Yuno swings down the hatchet onto the log, splitting it halfway. _"I know that if you were still around, you would've been splitting wood with your bare hands, propose to Sister Lily even as she beat you down with her magic endlessly, and spend the rest of your days training in the woods until sundown."_ Yuno sets his foot down on the ax, forcing the blade through the wood. _"Compared to you in terms of everything that is not magical, let's just say that I have big shoes to fill. I was praised as being the next hope for Hage and Clover Kingdom because of my magic. But funnily enough, I was never praised for being a decent human being."_

Yuno stops himself, mid-thought. _"Now that I think about it, no one was being praised for being a good person, let alone me and especially Asta."_ A disturbing thought haunts Yuno for a second. _"Are there no good people left in this world?"_ Yuno shakes his head to rid such thoughts.

"No, there are good people, its just that they're vulnerable to the cruelties of the world." He turns his head, and sees Sister Lily stumbling out of the church. She then comes closer and gently embraces his broken body.

Yuno then realizes what really mattered to him the most.

"Sister..." Yuno drops the hatchet next to his feet. "I think I now know why I wanted to be the next Wizard King now."

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hoo boy...

Now we're diving into full on AU-territory from here on folks.

Both Asta and Yuno have now resolved themselves to change the world that they're in, with one that destroys and one that protects.

Asta's demon preincarnation, Roth, was based off Haji from Hungry Joker, also written by Yūki Tabata.

On that note, I'm going to milk a lot of Hungry Joker characters' physical appearances for the demons.

Because f*cking reasons. I just like that manga slightly more than Black Clover (RIP).

As always, please leave a comment, for I'd like to know what you're thinking about this fic.


	4. Saga 4: Hallowed Be Thy Name

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 4: Hallowed Be Thy Name**

* * *

 **Hage Outskirts, Clover Kingdom, Forsaken Realm (Evening)**

* * *

A blade of wind cuts clean right through a tree, causing it to topple over.

For the last several hours after finishing all of the Church's chores, Yuno went out into the same woods where Asta used to train his body.

The now-empty bottle hanging on one of the tree branches was proof enough that he was once here.

Yuno closes his grimoire after finishing training his magic. He then looks around to see if anyone's nearby.

 _"No one's around. Alright then."_ Yuno sets his hands and feet, flattens his back, bends his arms closer to the ground, and then tries to pick himself back up.

With emphasis on _"tried"_.

 _"How does Asta even do this? Let alone more then one!?"_ Yuno struggles to push himself off the ground. _"No. I'm not stopping. I'm not giving up!"_ Yuno's trembling arms push him off the ground, and after his first, he plops to the ground in exhaustion.

 _"And Asta was doing a thousand of these every evening!?"_ Yuno realizes upon learning the fact that physical exertion was more taxing then magical exertion.

A rustle was heard from the bushes.

"Who's there!? Show yourself!" Yuno readies his grimoire, ready to fend off the assumed intruder.

Said "intruder" was actually _Nash_ , who came out of the bushes, wearing a despondent expression on his face.

"Yuno-nii..." Nash grumbled. "Why aren't you giving up?"

Yuno was shocked by Nash asking such thing.

"I mean..." Nash pauses.

"Look Nash." Yuno clasps his hands onto his shoulders. "Why are _you_ giving up?"

"Because Asta died."

Yuno's eyes open slightly.

"If someone weak as Asta died yesterday, then it pretty much means that me, Recca, Aruru, and everyone else that's in the Forsaken Realm..."

Nash falls to his knees, clutching his stomach.

"... We're next."

Yuno's _concern_ turns to _anger_. "Nash." He says in an ice-cold tone. "What makes you assume that Asta is weak?"

"He didn't have magic." Nash retorted. "Because in this world, magic is every-"

"And despite all that, he saved my life ten years ago." Yuno still remembers that winter where he ran into a violent drunk trying to steal his pendent for more booze.

If it weren't Asta, a missing pendent would be the least of his worries.

"And even faced with death, he fought to the bitter end, without fear." Yuno choked through his tears. "Nash, if you call him weak ever again, you better pray that I only let you off with a slap to the wrist, _understood_?"

Nash was now on the verge of tears.

Yuno pauses for a moment to realize that he was too hard on him. "F-Forgive me, Nash. Asta really meant that much to me. I really didn't mean to harm you in any way." Yuno looks away from Nash in shame.

"No... I'm the one who should be sorry." Nash then begins to sob into Yuno's leg.

Another rustling sound was heard from the bushes.

"NASH! GET BACK!" Yuno pushes Nash out of the way as a boar charged out of the bushes towards the two. He then prepared his grimoire against this flame-helm swine.

"[Wind Magic: Crescent Moon Sickle]!" Yuno swings out a blade of wind towards the boar, but the animal side-trots nimbly out out of its way.

The boar then _stampedes_ toward's _Nash's_ direction.

The whole world then slows down around Yuno, as the thoughts in his head go _haywire_.

His brain then flashes images of yesterday.

The exact moment when Revchi's leg was _severed_ by wind.

A wind sphere... around his _thigh_.

 _"Will it even work?"_ Yuno hesitated.

"AHHHHH!" Nash's distressed cries for aid snapped him out of his funk.

"Only _one_ shot." Yuno muttered.

HE'S NOT GOING TO FAIL THIS TIME!

"[Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble]!"

A ball of wind surrounds the boar's head.

"[Separator]!" The ball closes into the boar's head at the same time Yuno balls his right hand shut.

The beast stops in his tracks.

Then its entire head _slips_ off of its cleanly-cut neck.

Nash opens his eyes and sees Yuno panting from overexertion, and the boar, _now-headless_.

"Yuno-nii..." Nash brushes himself off the dirt on his clothes. "Please train me so I can get strong as... no."

Nash stands up firmly in front of Yuno, wiping his tear-stained face with his sleeve.

"Please let me train with you so I can be stronger than you."

Yuno smiles at the boy's newfound resolve.

"Starting tomorrow, we'll train for six months. Until then, can you keep up with me?" Yuno then encases the boar's carcass in a dome of wind to lift it off of the ground.

"Pft, it's not like that you're any better then me at doing what Asta does everyday."

Both chuckle slightly.

"Joking aside, if that's what it take to protect Sister and everyone else at church while you're gone, then yeah, I'll do it."

Yuno drops the boar onto his shoulder, fully intending to carry it himself all the way back to church.

"Six months, Nash. That's how long I have until the Magic Knights Entrance Exam. So make every moment count."

Nash nods firmly to Yuno's declaration.

* * *

 **Unknown Location (Night)**

* * *

Asta once again opens his eyes, but this time around, the space around him was only dark, not monochrome like back at Limbo.

 _"Roth..."_ Asta reminiscences back to his preincarnation that he met back at Limbo.

He gets up from whatever he was on, and from the feel of it, it was a made of stone. He tries to roll out sideways, but then falls hard onto the dirt below.

"Oww..." Asta gets up from the ground. He tries to look around for any light in this dark area, but there was nothing but stone, darkness, and-

 _"Kuh-kuh-kuh-kuh."_

A sound was heard. Asta follows where the sound was coming from, and sees an exit at the end of the tunnel.

 _"Kuh-kuh-kuh-kuh."_

Asta then looks down, and sees a bird with black feathers, red chest, and dead-looking fish eyes.

The bird flies up towards a withered tree illuminated by a sole ray of moonlight coming from the fissure above it in front of Asta, where similar birds of color were perched in its twisted branches.

"Umm... Excuse me. I was told by Roth to find you guys. So can any of you tell me on what's going on?" Asta internally groans at himself for talking to _birds_ out of all things to talk to, but upon learning that his preincarnation was a _demon_ , then the idea itself doesn't seem so ridiculous in hindsight.

All the birds then begin to flap their wings wildly, scattering their feathers onto the barren grounds in the cavern.

The bird with the fish-eyes flies down from the very top branch, and in mid-flight, _transforms_ into a black-winged, gray-haired human that looks like a young adult adorned with simple black garbs and a crescent-like designed tattoo on his left cheek.

The figure standing before Asta was also a _Demon_. A _Fallen Angel_ , specifically.

The Fallen Angel approaches Asta, then _kneels down_ towards him.

"For a millennia, I have been waiting for you, milord."

 _"Eh?"_

The other birds flies down from their branches and all of them transform into Fallen Angels, who all of them, upon landing, _kneel_ before Asta.

"WE'VE ALL WAITED FOR YOU, OUR PRINCE!"

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"

Asta was flabbergasted upon the roughly-fifty Fallen Angels bowing before him.

"W-W-WAIT A MINUTE! CAN SOMEONE TELL ME ON WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?"

"Oh, pardon us, milord." The demon stands up from his kneeling before saluting by putting his right hand over his heart and left on his back. "I am Claudius Nero Bael, your humble general, dedicated tactician, and loyal vassal."

Claudius then extends his hand toward the other kneeling Fallen Angels. "And these are the rest of your vassals, and together, we are the _Ars Goetia_ , the army of the Demon King, Apocrypha."

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?" Apparently, Asta now has his own personal army.

"So milord, you still have yet to see your new form?" Claudius then turns toward the other demons. "Someone take him to the springs!"

The two demons in the front stand up and guides him towards another cave entrance. In the middle of the cave was a giant underground lake, unspoiled and pure, clear enough to see a person's reflection.

Clear enough to see that Asta now has Roth's _wings_ on his back and the _similarly-designed tattoo_ on his face.

Claudius then approaches Asta from behind. "So milord. Have you decided on your name yet?"

"What do you mean?" Asta asked.

"To celebrate your reawakening, of course." The demon then extends both of his arms to the sides. "To symbolize your ascension! To signify your resurrection! To properly start a saga to your new life! A new name must be engraved onto your very soul!"

Asta then looks back at his new reflection on the lake.

"So milord. Have you decided?"

Asta smiles at the Fallen Angel.

"Astaroth. Call me _Astaroth_."

Claudius bows before him once again.

 **"ALL HAIL PRINCE ASTAROTH! FOREVER THE PRINCE OF WAR!"** Claudius boomed.

Every other demon enters the cave and kneels before the now-redubbed _Prince Astaroth_.

 **"ALL HAIL PRINCE ASTAROTH! FOREVER THE PRINCE OF WAR!"**

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And with that, the two boys have now taken their first step on their journey to become men.

Yuno has now doing push ups, chopping wood manually, and just killed a boar for dinner.

Asta is now Astaroth and now a Fallen Angel Prince.

And the canon Nero is revealed/retooled to be Claudius Nero Bael.

Leave a review or a comment, for I like to hear what my readers think.


	5. Saga 5: Separate Ways

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 5: Separate Ways**

* * *

 **Hage Outskirts, Clover Kingdom, Forsaken Realm (Morning)**

 **(6 Months Until Magic Knights Entrance Exam)**

* * *

Yuno was standing at the podium in the main chapel, with everyone else in the benches before him.

"Everyone, thank you for coming." Yuno speaks out. "It's been a few days ever since Asta had died," Yuno tries to hold back his emotional pain, with everyone else keeping it bottled up. "... and the fact that we all saw an... actual demon,"

The temperature in the chapel _plummets_.

Yuno regains composure. "... but regardless, the reason why I called you here is to tell you the honest truth." He gulps loudly. "Asta's dead, we all saw a demon take him away, but that's why I have to tell you something very important."

Yuno takes a breath. "In six months, I will leave this village to take the Magic Knights Entrance Exams, and once that happens, I won't be around to protect you guys."

"So what are you suggesting, Yuno?" Father Orsi asked.

"I'm telling everyone to start pulling their own weight, and if possible, start training your magic for other then basic uses."

"He's right." Nash speaks out. "With Asta getting killed by a bandit, everyone in Hage is basically _sheep_ waiting to be snatched by the _wolves_."

"What about the Magic Knights?" Father Orsi protested. "Are they the ones who come and handle security throughout Clover Kingdom?"

"Did they _ever_ come when me and Asta were attacked?" Yuno replied.

Father Orsi goes quiet again.

Yuno sighs briefly. "At this rate, there's bound to be more attacks like that, and as usual, the chances of there being any Magic Knights nearby to intervene is very _slim_." Yuno shakes his head sideways. "Now, I'm not saying that the whole institution itself is inherently evil, so you may be asking, _'why are you bringing this up if you're planning to head to the Clover Capital for the Magic Knights Entrance Exams?'_ " Yuno takes a breath before continuing to speak. "It's simple really."

"I'm going to become Magic Knight so that I can become the next Wizard King so that I can change the whole institution for the better."

Everyone in the main chapel goes quiet in shock.

Yuno's ambitions were beyond _lofty_. And for someone who was hailing from the Forsaken Realm in the Clover Kingdom to say such thing was outright _heresy_.

But then again, he does have a _four-leaf clover grimoire_. That was his _literal golden ticket_ to a higher status, so no one would even question him. And even if they did, Yuno's the type of person who doesn't cave in to something like peer pressure.

Even in death, Asta's heart still beats on in Yuno's own.

"So, are any of you with me?" Yuno questioned.

Nash stands up from his seat. "I've already said once, Yuno-nii." He then bares out a toothy grin. "I'm with you."

"Count me in too, Yuno." Sister Lily spoke out. "If it's for the sake of these children's safety, then I'll have to pick up where Asta left off." She smiles through the pain of her bruise on her stomach.

"I'm in. So that I can atone for my grave failings as a foster parent. Until my body become dust and my soul returns to the Almighty from the above, Yuno, I'll support you, all the way, even after the end." Father Orsi's spoke with a _solemn_ tone.

"I want to help, Yuno-nii-chan!" Recca chimed out.

"Me too! Me too!" Aruru also chimed out.

Yuno closes his eyes before the sole entrance of the chapel _bursts_ open, revealing a girl similar in Yuno's age, with side-plaited auburn hair, simple leaf-green tunic with white leggings and knee-high leather boots, and around her belt was a lime-green and maple-red colored grimoire.

"Um, I'm sorry, but just who are you?" Yuno spoke towards the girl from the open door.

"Yuno!" Father Orsi cried out. "That's the Hage Village Lord's daughter!"

"Please, no need for such formalities." The heaved out. "Regardless, I've heard every last word, and I wholeheartedly agree with you, Yuno-san." The girl then enters the main chapel.

"Wait, so you know what happened to Asta?" Nash asked.

"I would deny such _accusations_ , but after seeing that... _thing_ for myself, I now have no other choice but say yes, I am partially aware on what's going on with you folk." The village lord's daughter then takes a seat on one of the benches in the chapel.

"So how did you-"

"I used [Leaf Creation Magic: Shrub Cloak] to blend into my surroundings after I heard something crumbling nearby after the Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony." The girl then _shudders_ for a moment. "I swear, I think that... _thing_ actually _noticed me_ hiding nearby, but it just _ignored_ me and focused itself solely on that corpse."

"That _'corpse'_ you were referring to was my _brother_." Yuno spoke in an _ice-cold_ tone.

"... My condolences and also my sincerest apologies." The girl bows her head in shame.

"Accepted." Yuno sighs. "So the fact that you've overheard our conversation means that you must have a reason for coming here in the first place."

"Correct." The girl spoke. "I would've told my father or the rest of the villagers, but they would probability call me mad and possibly run me out of the village."

"Considering what we ran into that time and how _unreal_ it was, I cannot blame you, young miss."

Despite the rough first impressions that the lord's daughter had made, Yuno smiles at the prospect that his words reached to _someone else_ from outside of the church.

"Excuse me." Yuno calls out to the girl. "Can I ask for your name?"

The girl smiles warmly.

"Juniper Hage. But please, call me June."

* * *

 **Demon's Hideout (Morning)**

* * *

It was _unreal_ for Astaroth to see the Fallen Angels's logistical operations in motion.

Bows were restrung and maintained diligently, arrows were handcrafted and tipped with sharpened bone and stone arrowheads, tags of discarded paper from discarded grimoires were cut up and weird symbols were being written on it by their own blood, _putrid_ mixtures of herbs, poisonous mushrooms, and _animal feces_ were being procured into small wooden containers for _some reason_ , and old magic tools were being repurposed into makeshift spikes or crude weapons.

Simply put, he was in awe for how resourceful they were.

"Impressed, milord?"

"And you guys have been doing this... for how long, exactly?" Asta asked.

"We were doing this for about... a _thousand_ years or so?" Claudius chuckled. "It was a long road of constant trial or error, but we would've even thought of doing it so in the first place, if it weren't for your preincarnation's efforts."

Asta scratched his head for a moment before remembering something. "Oh yeah, Roth did mention that he took Ravager from someone called an... _elf_?"

"Ah yes." The Fallen Angel spoke. "From that sword, we began to learn the arts of craftsmanship. And as I mentioned previously, it was no small feat for us."

"Yeah..." Astaroth trails off, now realizing about where it went. "Hold on a sec, where did you take Ravager to?"

"It was dulled over _centuries_ of unuse, so we are sharpening it the best we can by the river." Claudius then grits his teeth slightly. "Assuming if the damn thing can even be sharpened back into a proper edge in the first place..."

"Something wrong?"

"Don't sweat the details, milord. We have more important things to go over." Claudius motions the four Fallen Angels to get back to sharpening the gigantic slab of rusted metal with smooth-surfaced rocks.

"Now then..." The Fallen Angel turns toward Astaroth. "We might want for you to... _cover up_."

"Eh?" Astaroth looks around his body garbed in similar black attire that the Fallen Angels were wearing. "You know that I'm not _naked_ , right?"

"True." The Fallen Angel said. "But a prince heading to war needs a suit of armor. But, good news is, we have a whole set being assembled, which will be completed in a few months." Claudius then gestures Astaroth towards another tunnel entrance, leading them into a large cave with a rounded ceiling. "So while we wait, I'd first like to give you this to you."

Placed onto Astaroth's hands, a dirty grimoire was there.

"... A grimoire?"

"I suggest you look closer and see how many leaves are on that clover, milord."

One, two, three, four...

 _Five_.

There are _five_ leaves on the clover.

"So milord, do you know what each leaf represents on the clover?" Claudius questions.

"Uhh... let's see." Astaroth then begins to dig through his _admittingly_ painful memories. "The first leaf represents _faith_... the second represents _hope_ , while the third represents _love_." He then remembers that Yuno received a _four-leaf_. "Uhh... so Claudius, what does the fourth leaf represent?"

"Apparently, I've heard rumors that it represents _'luck'_. As if it's to symbolize the fortune of receiving a power equivalent to the first Wizard King." He deadpanned. "Honestly, this may be rich coming from a Fallen Angel, but even I find that choice of motif _lazy_."

Astaroth himself had nothing to say to that statement specifically. "So, two questions."

"I'm all ears, milord."

"So first, what is the first Clover King's name?" Astaroth asked. "I mean, you were around during _that_ time, right?"

"I honestly don't know myself." The Fallen Angel spoke out. "But during King Apocrypha's rampage across the mortal plane, there was one mortal who stood up to our king, and someone vaguely made out the words ' _My name is_ _Alpha Rune'_." The Fallen Angel palms his face with both of his hands. "If that's his real name, I swear to our king, I'm going to _kill_ whoever named that guy, because I utterly refuse to believe we were driven back by a man with such an awful name."

"I think its cool." Astaroth blurted out.

"I am in no position to judge, milord. So I shall not." Then Claudius sits on the stone floor, cross-legged. "Now your second question?"

"Oh right." Astaroth then asks his second question. "What does the fifth leaf represent on this clover?"

"Personally speaking, we just put that as our trademark." Claudius bluntly spoke out. "But..."

"But what?"

"... Continuing on the clover's analogy of faith, hope, love, and luck, methinks just found a fitting meaning for the fifth leaf as of now."

"WHAT!? WHAT IS IT!?" Astaroth's eyes begin to twinkle like stars.

"... Fate." Claudius uttered.

"Fate?"

"Yes... FATE!" He springs up to his feet and shoots up both of his arms into the air.

"FATE! THE FATE OF HUMANITY IN OUR PRINCE'S FINGERTIPS! FATE OF OUR DESTINED VICTORY! FATE THAT SPELLS DEFEAT TO THOSE HUMANS THAT HAVE FORGOTTEN US!"

Claudius slams both of his hands onto Astaroth's shoulders. "Fate... that is _you_ , my prince, the one that shall bring this misguided era of false whims and errant wills of mortals to an _end_." His fish-eyes light up like the _morning sun_. "And I, Claudius Nero Bael, with all of my power, will make sure that your fate leading us Demons towards our victory, becomes _reality_."

"... Yeah." Astaroth nods. "We're going to save this world from itself."

"That's our prince. Now then..." Claudius then tosses Astaroth a wooden sword into his hands. "We have six months before our first assault within the Clover Kingdom begins. So until then, I myself will make sure that you're in fighting shape."

"So in other words..." Astaroth then feels a sense of _dread_ chilling up his spine.

* * *

 **(6 Months Until Ars Goetia's First Assault)**

* * *

"... Please do not hold this against me milord, for this is for your own good."

* * *

 **(5 Months Until Magic Knights Entrance Exam)**

* * *

"[Wind Magic: Crescent Moon Sickle]!" A crescent blade of wind shoots towards the charging boar in front him, striking it dead.

"[Leaf Creation Magic: Blade Grass Sabre]!" A straight sword made of a _literal blade_ of a single grass is formed in June's hands. She then skins the dead boar of its hide with said blade.

"Thanks to you kids, we'll have more than enough food for the whole village during wintertime." One of the village hunters spoke to the two.

"Never thought that we'd get help from a four-leaf and the village lord's daughter herself. Thanks to you guys, we got enough fur to sell to other villages along with out tatos and enough meat to smoke into jerky." The younger hunter spoke to June.

"It's nothing, really. We just happened to pass by." She smiled.

"We also thought that this could be a good extra training." Yuno then hogties the skinned boar by its ankles, and hangs it by a sturdy wooden rod. "Nash, can you pick up the front end and carry it with me?"

"Got it." Nash grabs the front end with Yuno holding up the rear.

"We're gonna miss ya kids when you're gone towards the capital..."

* * *

 **(5 Months Until Ars Goetia's First Assault)**

* * *

"To your left."

"GAH!"

Astaroth parries the swing coming from his rear left, causing a lock between the two wooden blades, with the strike of the two swords echoing in the cavern.

"Impressive milord. You seem to be a fast learner in the art of close combat." Claudius's blade then presses harder against Astaroth's own.

"But can you worm your way, OUT OF THIS!?" Claudius flies upward, swoops over his head, and _dive-bombs_ toward him, with his wooden sword pointing towards Astaroth.

Astaroth then parries the thrust with an angled horizontal swing, redirecting the attack's trajectory away from him.

"Impressive, milord." Claudius smiles as he brushes off his legs. He then flies back into the air, and floats in place, with his black wings spread wide open. "Now we can move onto aerial combat."

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"

* * *

 **(4 Months Until Magic Knights Entrance Exam)**

* * *

The log splits as a blade of wind eats right through the center.

The weather is slowly getting chiller and chillier, with the fields now barren after harvest, the huts were spewing smoke from the door's cracks, curing boar meat into jerky, and a cart full of chopped trees was coming from the distance.

"Oi, Yuno!" One of the men yelled out. "Can you help those guys out unloading the cart with your [Wind Magic]?"

"Don't worry." June pops from one of the toolsheds. "[Leaf Creation Magic: Druid's Ax]." A gigantic bipartite leaf with sharp edges formed in her hands. "I'll take over until you're back, kay?"

"Thanks, June. You're a great help." Yuno then heads toward where the cart was.

* * *

 **(4 Months Until Ars Goetia's First Assault)**

* * *

"Watch your left."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Astaroth _crash-lands_ head-first into a solid stone wall, leaving a perfect silhouette of impact of his whole body after he slips off of said crack.

"You'll only get better as you slowly get used to moving in all directions!"

Astaroth gets up from the floor. "YEAH! I AIN'T DONE YET!" Astaroth spreads his jet-black wings and takes off...

"NNNNOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTT YYEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTT!"

... Only for him to crash head-first... into the cave's _ceiling_.

"Welp. At least his feet were off the ground for more than _ten seconds_."

* * *

 **(3 Months Until Magic Knights Entrance Exam)**

* * *

"31... 32... 33..." Next to the fireplace, Yuno was doing push-ups while everyone else was asleep.

Outside of the church, the whole village was blanketed in snow, there was no one outside, and night had settled in with a snowstorm.

The church windows were boarded shut to keep the winter wind out, there were a few sticks of candles lit inside lamps for illumination, and everyone else was quietly asleep.

Everyone except for Yuno... and _Sister Lily_.

"Ah! Sister!" Yuno whispered as he slips off of his hands after hitting 40.

"Oh Yuno..." Sister sighed out. "You can do that in the morning, you know that?"

Yuno picks himself off of the floor and heads to bed with everyone else reluctantly.

"If Asta was around to grow up with Yuno..." Sister kills the light from the lamp and heads back into her personal quarters.

* * *

 **(3 Months Until Ars Goetia's First Assault)**

* * *

"Ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-I'm freezing my balls off out here!" Astaroth chattered through the blizzard with icicles hanging on his nostrils.

The two Fallen Angels were meditating in the forest clearing outside of the fissure. With there being a blizzard at the dead of night, no human was foolhardy enough to set even a foot outside, let alone, enter a clearing, completely exposed to the brutal elements.

"Grin it and bear it milord." Claudius speaks, not even fazed by the subzero temperatures around him. "Plus it would be very unfitting for the next Demon King to meet his end because of a measly frostbite to his testicles."

"Y-Y-YOU'RE RIGHT!" Astaroth braces himself in the _gnawing_ cold once more. "N-N-N-NOT YEEEEEEEEEEEETTT!"

The blizzard howling around them begins to grow even _more_ intense.

* * *

 **(2 Months Until Magic Knights Entrance Exam)**

* * *

The freshly fallen snow crumbled under Yuno's feet.

The winter winds finally began to cease, everyone was coming out of their homes, shoveling or clearing snow from their front yards, and Yuno himself was jogging through the snowy fields with a bundle of chopped wood tied onto his back.

Next to him was Nash, who was keeping pace with him, with an equally-sized bundle of logs on his back.

"Yuno! Nash!" In front of the two, Sister Lily was dashing towards them.

"Hey Sister." Yuno spoke out. "I brought firewood from the merchants from the other villages."

"I helped too." Nash beamed. "Also, carrying these doesn't tire me out as it used to."

Sister smiles at the two as she embraces them. "You two have grown up so fast..." She then looks toward the sun rising out of the pure white clouds with a single tear dripping .

 _"Asta... if only you were here with us now..."_

* * *

 **(2 Months Until Ars Goetia's First Assault)**

* * *

Astaroth and Claudius were clashing wooden blades again, but this time, the Fallen Angels were evenly matched, both on land and in air.

"Impressive milord." Claudius breaks off from their blade. "In a span of a handful of months, you've managed to master the fundamentals of melee combat." He then tosses his sword to the side. "And with that, we now conclude our sword sparring."

Astaroth plops down onto his back. "Finally, a break-"

A fist is slugged onto Astaroth's stomach, knocking all of the air out of his lungs.

"I didn't say that we were done." Claudius extends his hand toward Astaroth, pulling him off the ground. "Now we move on to hand-to-hand combat."

Claudius raises his fists towards Astaroth. "So grit teeth, milord. I guarantee that this will hurt you more than all the things that I've done previously."

Astaroth grins. "BRING IT ON!"

* * *

 **(1 Month Until Magic Knights Entrance Exam)**

* * *

"Just what are you doing here, Juniper?" A young man's voice is heard from the front of the church.

Yuno heads out the door and sees June confronting a man in his early-twenties with similar-colored hair, clothes, and grimoire around his belt.

"Nii-sama." June speaks in an _irritated_ tone. "Shouldn't you be back home, screwing with your botany projects?"

"Umm, excuse me." The two in front of Yuno turn their heads towards him.

"Ah, Yuno-kun." June speaks out. "Sorry to drag to you into my personal affairs at this time."

"So you're the 'Yuno' that I've heard about." The auburn-haired man approaches toward Yuno. "The _four-leaf_ that everyone's been talking about and my sister's peasant companion." He spoke in a mildly _hostile_ tone.

"Just what do want from me?" Yuno asks the older man.

"I've rumors that a four-leaf was apparently been around my younger sister for these past few months."

"Wait, _younger_ _sister_?"

June sighs in _exasperation_. "This is Rowan Hage, the next lord of the Hage Village, and my elder brother."

Rowan glares at Yuno. "I care not that you're a four-leaf. No one is taking my sister away, let alone a peasant!" He opens his grimoire, readying himself for combat. "If you want to take my sister away, then you're going to have to get past me!"

Yuno turns to June with a concerned expression.

"Kick his ass." June replied with a deadpan tone.

"Now taste the power of my [Seed Magic]!"

 ** _One Painfully Short "Bout" Later..._**

"... I gave you my word, four-leaf. She's all yours." Rowan spoke while he was flat on his back.

"I have name you know." Yuno crouches down to the fallen Rowan. "And it's Yuno."

"Please forgive my idiot brother." June apologizes. "He means well, but gets a little bullheaded at times."

"It's fine, really." Yuno then extends his hand to Rowan.

"My sister always had dreams of becoming a Magic Knight." Rowan takes Yuno's hand, picking himself off the ground. "Whereas I was too yellow-bellied to even set one foot out of the village. My sister on the other hand, well, from the looks of it, I can't keep her tied down here anymore, can I?"

"Does that mean?" June eyes brighten at her prospects.

"Our father Elm Hage has already given you his blessings, sister. It's just that he sent me to test the four-leaf- _I mean_ Yuno's resolve." Rowan stuttered. "And congratulations, Yuno. Hage village is now supporting you all the way."

Yuno smiles as he looks at the church orphans behind him. "I won't let you down."

* * *

 **(1 Month Until Ars Goetia's First Assault)**

* * *

"Milord!" Claudius rushes toward Astaroth, while the Fallen Angel Prince was doing push-ups with rocks tied onto the back of his wings.

"... 997... 998... 999... 1000!" Asatroth then hops up to his feet. "What is it, Claudius?"

"Your suit of armor is now finished!"

Astaroth's eye sparkle like stars again.

"THAT'S AWESOME! LEMME SEE! LEMME SEE! LEMME SEE!" The Demon Prince of war was now acting like a kid having free reign at a confectionery store.

"Soothe your excitement, milord." Claudius then gestures the Demon Prince towards the main cave, where a shrouded stand was sitting at the other end of the cavern.

Astaroth dashes toward the obscured stand and pulls down the drape, revealing a set of obsidian-black, full-body, plate armor adorned with spikes, chainmail underneath the armor as base, and a tattered red cape with the five-leaf black clover on the back.

"So, is this armor to your liking?" The Fallen Angel asked Astaroth.

"IT'S SO BADASS!" His eyes sparkled like the stars in the night skies, par for course.

"You've outdone yourself yet again, Phenex." Claudius complimented.

"All part of my duty as an artisan, Commander Bael." Phenex bowed.

Astaroth was still admiring the armor with starstruck eyes, as if he was experiencing his second childhood.

"CAN I TRY IT ON!? CAN I!? CAN I!? CAN I!?" Astaroth begged.

"We will..."

Astaroth's hype _skyrockets_.

"... after doing _3 rounds_ of aerial combat sparring, a _thousand_ sit-ups with your toes clinging _onto_ the cave ceiling, and a _5 hour_ meditation under the cave's waterfall, while _floating_ directly under it."

Before said hype _plummeted_ back down on the cold, hard earth below.

"YOU CAN BE SUCH A DEMON, YOU KNOW THAT!?"

"That, I take in pride greatly, milord." Claudius smiles as he charged toward Astaroth with his wooden practice sword.

* * *

 **(The Month of Magic Knights Entrance Exam)**

* * *

Daylight slowly begins to rise from the window, all the snow outside has melted away, revealing bright emerald-green grass, and the Yuno's journey to become the next Wizard King.

Not only for the church, or Hage. But for the sake of keeping Asta alive in his heart.

Yuno's belongings were packed the night before, cleans himself up, finishing his breakfast, and taking his belongings with him, Yuno heads out the door, and meets Juniper/June with her sack around her back, waiting for him.

"I would say the cliche 'you're late' line, but you came out on time, so I won't." She smiled.

"Well, might as well get there early." The two then hit the road, but not after Nash comes rushing from behind them.

"YUNO-NII!" Nash then throws a tin canteen to Yuno's hands. "IT'S MOGURO LEAF JUICE! I BOUGHT IT WITH THE YULES THAT I SAVED UP FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS!"

Yuno gives a thumbs up as he proceeds down the road with June.

"YOU BETTER WAIT FOR ME, YUNO! I AIN'T LETTING MY TRAINING FROM THE PAST SIX MONTHS GO TO WASTE, YOU HEAR ME!?"

The two then head out towards the open road as Hage Village becomes smaller and smaller the further they go.

During their hike to the capital, Yuno uncaps the tin bottle and takes a small sip from it before putting it away around his pack.

"So, how did it taste?" June asked.

Yuno smiles _nostalgically_.

"Disgusting."

* * *

 **(The Month of Ars Goetia's First Assault)**

* * *

"Ladies, gentlemen, milord. I thank you for all of you for gathering here for our briefing." Claudius addressed the fifty-plus Fallen Angels gathered around him. "For the last six months, twenty of our companions ventured out to the mortal world above us, and they bring good tidings for us."

"Then what is it!?" "Are we finally going to kill some mortals!?" "Is it time to put our long-awaited training to good use?"

"Everyone, everyone, EVERYONE!" The audience goes quiet. "I finally confirmed the target's location and the exact time that _all_ of their associates are going to gather in one place."

The Fallen Angels cheer at their new prospects.

"Umm, excuse me." Astaroth spoke out. "But what is the _'target'_ that you guys were talking about?"

"Ah, it seems that I was too focused on training you that it seemed to slipped my mind. My humblest apologizes." Claudius bowed slightly.

"Just tell me already!" Astaroth spoke firmly.

"Of course." Claudius composes himself before uttering their first "target".

"Our first target... is the Eye of the Midnight Sun."

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hoo boy...

Shit is about to hit the f*cking fan, folks.

So the introduction of my "human" OCs, Juniper Hage (Major character), and her older brother, Rowan (Minor character), how do you like the village lord's kids?

I have a headcanon that the Village namesakes are actually from the small-time nobles that own the patch of land where the village resides in the first place.

Prepare to see the likes of "Lunettes Village" or "Lugner Village", for I'm going to rip the Black Clover roster a fresh new asshole for them to shit out of.

On the side note, I should probably list on _how_ the OCs sound like (for funsies):

Roth: Shun Horie (JPN), Greg Ayres (ENG)

Claudius Nero Bael: Tatsuhisa Suzuki (JPN), Kyle Hebert (ENG)

Juniper Hage: Yoshino Nanjo (JPN), Wendy Powell (ENG)

Rowan Hage: Daisuke Ono (JPN), Scott Gibbs (ENG)

So what do think?

Leave a comment, for I'd like to hear what you guys think about this chapter.


	6. Saga 6: Hell's Bells Part 1

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 6: Hell's Bells (Pt. 1)**

* * *

 **Gravitos Rock Belt Outskirts (Night)**

* * *

Astaroth couldn't believe what he was seeing.

There was a gigantic fortress of stone _floating_ in the air, surrounded by smaller rocks floating above an entirely stone earth.

The moonlight was obscured by the clouds above, creating the perfect darkness that the Fallen Angels were perfectly blended into.

No one could see them with this level of blackness, however, Astaroth had no problem seeing in the dark, nor the others.

"So milord, here we are." Claudius whispers. "Our debut."

Astaroth looks toward the fortress in front of him, his heart beating faster and faster in _anticipation_ , and the grip on Ravager becoming more and more _firm_.

They have prepared. They have waited. And now, they're about to _feed_.

* * *

 _ **A Few Hours Back...**_

* * *

 _"Bows and arrows!?"_

 _"Check!"_

 _"Anti-Magic tags!?"_

 _"Check!"_

 _"Tinder!?"_

 _"Check!"_

 _"Weapons!?"_

 _"Check!"_

The Fallen Angels were in a _fever pitch_ , packing every piece of equipment that they've prepared for the past countless years, all for their exploration back into the outside world since the last millennium had passed.

"Hey, what's that?" Astaroth points toward a gigantic wooden vat filled to the brim with a translucent liquid of a yellowish hue, carried by a pair of Fallen Angels.

"That milord, is boiled _animal fat_ and _fish grease_." Claudius stated. "They're going to play an essential part of our plan."

"Okay, but how did you get them in the first place?" Astaroth asked. "Aside from the fact that you guys might've hunted for food. What I'm saying is that the people outside should've seen the smoke, right?"

"True, so that's why we brewed it over there." He then points towards a cave entrance.

The _exact_ same entrance that led toward the exact same cave that he was training in for the past six months.

"In all fairness, we've moved the brewery out a week prior of your revival."

 _"Hmm, thought I smelled something meaty while I was in there."_ Astaroth reminiscences.

* * *

 _ **Back to Current Time...**_

* * *

"All right, everyone." Claudius whispers to the others. "Here's how the plan goes."

The Demons gather around the tactician.

"First, the advance team will compose of ten people and they'll weed out anyone patroling in the surrounding area. Our initial advantage is that they can't sense us due to our lack of mana, but _some_ of them were smart enough to bring lamps. The ones without lamps are the first priority, after that, the ones with the lights will go next, and whatever you do, take their lamps _and do not drop them_ , we'll need them as insurance."

A few Demons nod.

"After the advance team secures the surrounding area, the next step is to administer these tags around the fortress's exterior." Claudius then presents the blood-inked paper tags to the others. "Once we have them covering the exterior, they'll be activated by my command, turning the whole fortress into a gigantic anti-magic zone for about an hour. However, should even _one_ be put out of its initial position, the effect will weaken, so take caution when putting these around the fortress."

All the other Demons nod in response.

"After that's finished, then comes the breach, the real meat of the plan." Claudius grinned evilly. "The tinder and oil that I had you bring along, that'll be our key factor in the ensuing attack." His face goes back to the previously serious expression. "Once we enter the enemy base, take out many people as you can without causing alarm. Should you trigger an alarm however, continue to kill many as you see, but now take into consideration that a few of them might make a run for it. Should any of them make it out unscathed, we'll lose the element of surprise, and if that happens, then the operation as a whole will be deemed as a failure."

Everyone listening was now more focused then before.

"Simply put, here are your objectives; kill everyone in the surrounding area without raising alarm, cage everyone else in their own fortress with the tags, and then upon entry, kill everyone in the fortress and let none get away. Understood?"

The Demons grunt in unison.

"We have until daylight. Commence the operation."

Ten demons transform into their bird-forms and fly off into the darkness ahead.

Upon spotting the patrol flying in their brooms, the birds swoop in silently from behind, transform into their Fallen Angel form, gags their respective patrol's mouth, and slits their throats open with their stone knives. The Demons then snatch the brooms out of their dead victims, and proceeds toward the patrols with lamps.

And just like the first time, the victims have their necks sliced open, also with their brooms and lamps now in the Fallen Angels's possessions.

Claudius then sees the lamps bundling up together, with the light in the distance flickering on and off in a particular pattern.

" _Area... clear... of... intruders..._ " Claudius then turns to the demons behind him. "We're in the clear. Proceed to _phase two_ of the plan."

The rest of the demons fly towards the gigantic flying rock towards the center each with a bundle of Anti-magic tags in their hands. Astaroth and Claudius follow suit.

All the Demons with the tags start sticking them onto the stone exterior. Meanwhile, Astaroth then begins to ask some questions to Claudius.

"Hey Claudius."

"What is it, milord?" He sticks a tag onto the wall.

"Just who are these Eye of the Midnight Sun guys?"

Claudius pats down another tag onto the wall. "Ah, well allow me to explain." He then pats down another tag onto another spot. "The Eye of the Midnight Sun are an insurrectionist group who plans to destroy the Clover Kingdom and establish their own nation upon its ashes."

"Then why are we targeting these guys? Can they be our allies towards our cause?" Astaroth asked.

"No, and for _several_ reasons." Claudius sternly replied. "Reason one: a vast majority of them joined this group for their own means, with a greater majority of them being too unstable for their own good. Like for example, they have a necromancer in their ranks who uses [Soul Corpse Magic], and he's prone to lashing out towards literally everyone around him should he given the chance to do so." He sighed. "Honestly, it's a fucking miracle that he managed to stick around with all of limbs attached to his body for _this_ long."

He then tags another spot. "Reason two: their agenda will collide with our own should we leave them be. Remember, it's _you_ that has to bring the era of magic, not letting these infidels prolonging this vicious cycle any further." He then tags another spot.

"Reason three: their leader." Claudius's tone drops to _hostile_ levels of low. "I have not yet confirmed his appearance, but apparently, not only he's a [Light Magic] user, but he's also a _four-leaf_."

Astaroth freezes upon hearing this _oddly familiar_ information.

"Does that sound familiar to you, milord?" Claudius then stamps a bundle of Anti-Magic tags onto the wall behind him.

"The first Wizard King..." Astaroth recalled to the story he'd been read about as his time as Asta. "You're telling me that the leader has the _exact_ same magic as the one who slain King Apocrypha!?"

"That's why we have to take him out tonight." Claudius confirmed. "If we don't, we'll have to face an uphill battle later down the line. Better to deal with him now then face him later."

Astaroth's grip on Ravager tightens even firmer. "If that's what it takes... then I'll cut him down myself."

"That I believe you will, milord." Claudius then looks towards his left and sees the lamp from the distance flickering in a pattern again.

"Milord, the tags have been placed. Now we can breach the enemy base." Claudius speaks to Astaroth. "We await your order."

Astaroth takes a breath with his grip on his broadsword becoming tighter.

"COMMENCE THE BREACH!"

The Fallen Angels then fly into the various openings of the flying fortress.

* * *

 **15 Miles From the Clover Capital (Night)**

* * *

Around the campfire, Yuno and June were on their backs, trying to catch some sleep for tomorrow's trek.

Yuno tries to close his eyes, but for some reasons, he just can't seem to.

Was it because of him thinking of back at the orphanage? Was it the heavy burdens that was placed upon him by the whole Hage village, including himself?

He then looks at the black sash with a red cross wrapped around his right wrist, only to find himself unable to stop _trembling_.

 _"Asta..."_ Doubts then begin to flood his mind. Guilt starts to drown his very soul.

 _"NO!"_

Yuno snaps himself out of his grief and pain.

 _"IF ASTA WERE TO SEE THIS, HE WOULDN'T LET US LIVE IT DOWN FOR YEARS TO COME!"_ His thoughts _screamed_.

 _"SO QUIT YOUR BITCHING AND GO THE FUCK TO SLEEP!"_

Yuno passes out at the same time as the embers from the fire died out.

* * *

 **Gravitos Rock Belt Outskirts, Eye of the Midnight Sun's Base Interiors (Night)**

* * *

 _"On your right."_ Claudius whispers telepathically.

Astaroth grabs the guard in a sleeper hold, snapping his neck at the sound of a *pop*.

He then proceeds to drag the body towards a nearby ledge and tosses the corpse over it.

 _"Splendid work, milord."_ Claudius then offhandedly throws a knife directly into another guard's neck.

 _"So, how much longer?"_ Astaroth asked. _"Also, how am I communicating with you without talking?"_

 _"Our brains are linked together in thought, milord."_ Claudius communicated telepathically. _"I apologize for not informing you of this function earlier, for I was too focused on your training to do so."_

 _"Teach me how that works after all this is over."_ Astaroth chops another guard's neck in _two_ from behind with his bare open hand.

 _"Milord, a few of out own has found the room where the majority of the members are gathered for some meeting."_ Claudius informs Astaroth.

 _"And what about the guards?"_ He questioned.

 _"We have a few of our own armed with bows and arrows to take care of any stragglers. But just to be sure, I have five of our own to comb the rest of the area for any patrols."_ Claudius orders. _"Everyone else, head towards where the members are gathered."_

Astaroth then heads toward where the light was coming from, and peeks over the ledge to see various members cloaked in white, with the leader at the center being surrounded by three cloaked figures with more ornate-looking white robes.

 _"Whenever you're ready, milord."_

 _"Do it."_

Claudius bites his right thumb, causing blood to spill out of the puncture and onto a black stone.

Upon the blood hitting the stone, the tags begin to glow in a reddish-black hue.

"Milord, I just realized how this place is floating."

"And what exactly is it?" Astaroth asked.

"It's _magic_."

Both of the Fallen Angels just realized that they just accidentally shot themselves in the foot.

Then everyone assembled in the main hall was blown off their feet.

The whole area was shaking as if a child was swinging it around like a rag doll.

Right before the shaking stop with an resounding **_*THUMP*_**.

 **"TO HELL WITH IT!"** Claudius yelled at the top of his lungs. **"COMMENCE TO THE CONTINGENCY PLAN!"** He then jumps into the center where the members gathered were struggling to get up from their feet. Then the rest of the Fallen Angels from the surrounding sides jumps down toward the central area.

And all of them had their weapons drawn and their jet-black wings spread out.

 **"KILL THEM ALL! LEAVE NONE OF THEM ALIVE!"**

Astaroth then jumps in with the rest of his army, with Ravager in hand, and revealing his black armor for all to see and fear.

The Demons then let their _manic_ battle cry in _Daemontounge_ , but this time, Astaroth knew what they were saying _perfectly_.

 _ **"(TO HELL AND BACK! WE WILL DROWN THE WORLD IN RED!)"**_

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Well here we are, the beginning of our first large-scale battle arc.

So while our Astaroth/Asta is about to turn the Eye of the Midnight Sun's home base into a demented slaughterhouse, Yuno and Juniper/June are currently walking towards the Capital for their exams.

By the next sunrise, the two's destinies will forever be changed beyond recognition...

And our Fallen Angel tactician just realized that magic was the thing that was making the fortress float in the first place.

Whoops.

...

So what do you think about my idea of sending the main antagonist faction of the canon story into the blender first?

Leave a review for this fic and spread the word about this fic! I'd love to get more readers and know what you're all thinking.


	7. Saga 7: Hell's Bells Part 2

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 7:** **Hell's Bells (Pt. 2)**

* * *

 **Gravitos Rock Belt, Eye of the Midnight Sun's Base Interiors, Central Hall (Night; about 6 hours until daylight)**

* * *

After the _frenzied_ battle cry from the Ars Goetia, Astaroth leads the charges towards the panicking gaggle of white-cloaked mages, weapons in hand, pointed towards the enemy, with a _suffocating_ killing intent radiating from the demonic army upon the hapless fools that dare call themselves _"mages"_.

Astaroth winds Ravager back mid-charge, and upon releasing the built-up force, the black broadsword _cleaves_ through the entire front line of mages in a _single_ swing.

The top halves of the mages go _flying_ in the air, spraying blood in its wake, the now-lifeless lower half buckling under its _literal_ dead weight onto its knees or in an _undignified heap_ of broken flesh and bone.

Their reactions varied from _horrified awe_ to a _complete failure_ of their digestive tracts.

Something _new_ then awakens withing Astaroth.

Seeing them _gawk_ as they struggle to find the words to describe this carnage around them.

Seeing the look of terror in their eyes stained with _tears_.

Seeing them tremble flat on their asses before his _awesome_ presence.

Seeing them put up a _futile_ attempt of a resistance against him, then seeing their _mangled_ expressions of _fear_ of the fact that their so-called magic couldn't do _jack shit_ to him or his black armor.

To the the Eye of the Midnight Sun, they were _death incarnate_.

To the Fallen Angels, they were only _food_.

But to Astaroth, he himself found meaning.

In bringing death, he's found _life_.

For the first time in his life, _he's alive_.

 _ **"JIAK'M ALIVE! (I'M ALIVE!)"**_

Astaroth's declaration to the heavens above and depths of hell below was the very first time that he's spoken in Daemontounge.

Around Astaroth, various Fallen Angels were in their chaotic frenzy of _festive_ carnage and _gleeful_ sadism.

They _gutted_ them like a fish with only their _bare hands_ , they _flayed_ them alive with their crude weapons, they _bombarded_ the _cowering_ runaways with their poisoned arrows, and the ones trying to put up a fight in a group against _one_ Fallen Angel were _massacred_ in a matter of _seconds_.

In short, it was a scene straight out of the nightmare from the darkest, deepest bowels of Hell. More fitting that the Demons were now pouring boiled animal fat and fish grease from the above, smashed their stolen lamps onto the now-oil-drenched floor, and setting the entire central assembly hall and everyone else on _fire_.

Mostly everyone. The three cloaked figures and their leader at the center were the only ones not on fire.

Because there was a ring of fire around the four, preventing the outside flames from entering.

The biggest one of the four then pounces out of the ring and towards Astaroth's way. Mid-jump, his cloak flies off, revealing a muscular man built like a brick house with a long blonde mane flowing behind his back and shark-like teeth, this mage was more _beast_ than man.

Made even _more_ obvious with the kind of magic that he was declaring.

"[Beast Magic: Bear Claw]!" A pair of spectral bear claws formed around his burly arms, swiping toward his direction, only to be intercepted by Claudius, digging his fingers int the beast-man's temples.

"Milord, I must tell you that your main priority is to kill the four-leaf leader here." The fingers around the beast-man's face begins to draw blood.

"Yeah, he's with those two other freakazoids, right?"

The beast in Claudius's grasp tries to say something, but all that was audible from him were incoherent mumbles coming from through the Demon's palm.

"Astute as expected, milord. Now if I may excuse myself..." Claudius's wings spread open.

"I've got a kitten to _neuter_." He then takes off into the air, throwing him through the exact same door that they came in from and out towards the _now-fallen_ rock.

Astaroth then turns toward the leader with his two lackeys. All three of them throw off their hoods, revealing the one in the left was a man with black hair with a patch of white on it, a young woman on the rightmost side with peach hair and feral eyes with a red lizard-like creature perched on her shoulder, and at the center was an angelic-looking young man with braided white hair, and an ornate-looking round black and gold cap adorned on the top of his head.

Quite a diverse bunch, in all honesty.

"I'm assuming that you're the leader." Astaroth points his sword towards the man at the center.

"I won't confirm or deny it." The leader spoke in a gentle tone laced with _subtle_ hints of _rage_ seeping over before blowing its lid off into space. "BUT YOU DARE TO COME TO OUR BASE OF OUR OPERATIONS-"

Astaroth cuts him off and _charges_ toward the leader, but before his sword could reach him, the leader with his two other companions appear behind him.

"Now be judged." A blast of light is shot from his hand, but Astaroth's black armor bounces it off like a dew on a leaf.

"Oh dear..." The man with the black and white hair sighed. "We're not gonna finish this in one fell swoop, aren't we?"

"Doesn't matter..." The young woman with the red lizard spoke in a _hoarse_ tone. "He didn't accept Licht's judgement... I'll burn him nice and slow..."

Then said woman _immediately_ files off her handle. _**"... WITH ALL OF MY HATE!"**_ The woman then opens up her grimoire.

 **"[Fire Spirit Magic: Salamander's Breath]!"** Her pet then spits out a gigantic blast of flame towards Astaroth.

"Welp, better follow it up, then." The man then opens his grimoire while touching the woman's own. "[Copy Magic: Salamander's Breath]." Another massive blast of fire spews towards his way.

Before the two pillars of fire can reach him, Astaroth winds Ravager back, then swings the massive blade in a diagonal arc, cutting both blasts of fire in two, _petering_ them out.

The two casters just stare in shock with their jaws hanging open.

"What's wrong? Getting cold feet already?" Astaroth taunted.

 **"SURROUND HIM!"** The other white cloaked mages then circle the Fallen Angel Prince. **"IT'S OVER, YOU BASTARD! THERE'S SEVERAL OF US AND ONLY ONE OF YOU!"**

Astaroth just scoffs at their _bloated_ bravado. "And are those going to be your last words?"

 **"THOSE WILL BE YOUR LAST THEN!" "KILL THE FUCKER!" "I'LL ADD YOU TO MY COLLECTION!" "I'LL TAKE HIS BODY FOR SCIENCE!" "FOR LORD LICHT!"** All the mages around him open their grimoires and blasts their spells in tandem.

 **"[Wind Magic: Tornado Needles!]"** Five lances made of wind shoots toward Astaroth.

 **"[Gel Creation Magic: Sticky Salamander] +[Special Property: Formula Gamma]!"** A gigantic lizard made of slime is summoned. The female mage then injects a giant syringe filled with a blue liquid, causing the lizard to be surrounded in sparks of blue lightning.

 **"COME ON! NUMBER 0! MICHAEL CAESAR!"** From the one-eyed mage's black portal, an _anatomically mismatched_ figure with a clown mask appears and _haphazardly_ blasts **[Wind Magic: Devouring Hurricane]** , **[Fire Magic: Wildfire]** , **[Water Magic: Flood Banquet]** , **[Lightning Magic: Tempest Blast]** , and **[Ice Magic: Negative Zero]** towards the armored Demon.

 **"[Tree Magic: Vampiric Roots]!"** The hooded mage blasts out a bramble of thorny roots towards him.

 **"[Earth Creation Magic: Titan Punch]!"** A short mage shoots a gigantic fist made of compacted earth.

 **"[Ice Magic: White Burial]."** A wave of ice towers over Astaroth.

 **"[Water Creation Magic: Squall Bullets]!"** Several droplets of water fire towards the Demon at _lethal_ velocities.

 **"[Emerald Magic: Verdant Spires]!"** Green crystal spikes sprout towards Astaroth's direction.

 **"[Spatial Magic: Dimensional Cutters]!"** Disk-like black projectiles spins toward Astaroth.

 **"[Fire Spirit Magic: Salamander Talons] and [Crystal Creation Magic: Lævateinn]."** The small red lizard jumps up and swipes its hind claws, sending slashes of fire. In tandem, a massive sword made of diamond is brought down towards Astaroth's head.

 **"[Copy Magic: Talos Puppet Cluster]."** The man with the [Copy Magic] touches the [Fire & Crystal Magic] user's grimoire, and summons a small army of diamond clones of himself to dogpile the Demon.

 **"[Light Magic: Divine Ray of Judgement]!"** From the leader's four-leaf grimoire, a massive beam of burning light blasts towards the Demon.

All of the magic attacks connects to the Demon Prince, creating a gargantuan explosion that _engulfs_ him completely.

 **"HA! HOW'S THAT, YOU ARROGANT BASTARD!" "YOU STOOD NO CHANCE AGAINST US!" "THE EYE OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN IS IMMORTAL!" "LONG LIVE LORD LICHT!" "AW SHIT! THERE'S NO BODY LEFT FOR ME TO PLAY WITH/DISSECT!"**

Key word, _"connects"_ , not _"kill off"_.

From the choking smoke, Astaroth emerges from the smoke, with not a _single_ scratch on his corporal form.

The mages stop celebrating _immediately_. Their expressions of _haughty glee_ replaced with _unfathomable horror_.

"So, any last words?" Astaroth spoke in an _unamused_ tone.

 **"HOW!?"** They all said in unison.

"Simple. 1000 push-ups with rocks tied to your back, 1000 sit-ups while clinging onto the ceiling like a bat, 6-hour mediation under a waterfall or in a middle of a raging blizzard, 20,000 sword swings per session, sparred with my tactician for five rounds, and a steady diet of boar meat and raw fish. **Every. Single. Day.** " Astaroth stated in a _dry_ tone. "Also worth mentioning, but I'm a _hundred-percent_ legit _**Demon**_."

Their expressions of horror reach _existential_ levels of realization.

"A Fallen Angel, specifically."

 _"We're fucked, aren't we?"_ One of them stated in a _whimpering_ tone.

"Thanks for reminding me that." Astaroth then spreads his wings then _suddenly_ appears before the one-eyed mage. He then grabs his familiar, Michael Caesar, by the back of its head, and swings it over his head, down towards the mage's _horrified_ face.

Astaroth then proceeds to use his familiar as a makeshift _bludgeon_ , beating the mage's skull in until said skull _implodes_ in a messy heap of blood and splattered grey matter.

"One."

Astaroth then appears behind a group of mages in a flash. With his free hand, he pulls Ravager out of his five-leaf grimoire, and _cleaves_ through several mages like sickle to wheat.

"Seven."

He then throws his bludgeon/stolen familiar towards the bespectacled female mage, which she then catches it with her slime familiar. Astaroth's Ravager then _bursts_ out of her chest, impaling her through, then he lifts the sword _upwards_ through her _convulsing_ top half, splitting her skull in _half_.

"Eight."

The black-eyed mage then blasts several black spatial projectiles in hope of fending him off. The Fallen Angel then throws Ravager into the mage's chest, which then Astaroth then pulls the sword out with his right, and in tandem, punches the mage's head _off_ of his neck with his left.

"Nine."

A group of mages to his left haphazardly fires their spells with what remaining mana they had left from their initial assault. Their magic bounces off of his black armor like toy balls to a castle wall. Once seeing that their magic was useless against this _death incarnate_ , they try to make a run for it, but only to find themselves _all impaled_ through the same sword.

"Fourteen."

The mage to his right shoots out a flurry of icicles towards him. Astaroth smacks them back with his right wing, with one of them hitting the mage in the shoulder. He then _flash-steps_ toward the man, grabs him by the throat, and rips his head off along with the spine.

"Fifteen." Astaroth then dumps his head into the patch of grease fire.

He would go after everyone else that was running, but he won't for _two_ specific reasons.

One: the other Demons were already beating them dead before he himself could.

Two: the remaining three, that being the [Fire & Crystal Magic] user, [Copy Magic] user, and the leader using [Light Magic], were pissed off as hell, and it doesn't look like they'll make a run for it anytime soon.

 **"YOU BASTARD!"** The leader in the center roared out. **"HOW DARE YOU KILL MY MEN!"**

"Why, were _you_ supposed to do it?" Astaroth responded in a _bored_ tone.

The leader's freezes into a _grimace_.

"Licht... I'll do it..." The woman's pet lizard _transforms_ into a _gigantic fire dragon_. She then jumps on top of its back as the dragon itself readies to attack with its master. **"I'LL BURN HIS BODY AND SOUL TO ASH!"**

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't you go acting cool all by yourself." The [Copy Magic] user then touches the leader's four-leaf grimoire, copying its [Light Magic], then forming a serrated sword made of light into his hand. "Oi Licht. Normally, in a situation like this, I would tell you to make a run for it, but knowing who you are, you're not gonna listen, aren't ya?"

"You speak the truth, Raia." Licht then forms a long whip-like construct with his [Light Magic] into his hand. **"I will not stand idle after what he did to my men."**

The three mages then ready themselves for the fight of their lives, but to Astaroth, all he saw were cornered vermin with bared teeth.

Is this what being powerful feels like? _Perhaps_ , but for now...

 **"Let the records show that your choices is going to be your undoing."**

He's got vermin to exterminate.

* * *

 **Gravitos Rock Belt, Eye of the Midnight Sun's Base Exteriors (Dawn; About 4 hours before daylight)**

* * *

 **"[Beast Magic: Bear Claw]!"** The beast-man mage swipes the claw-like constructs towards Claudius.

He stops both of the claws by catching one of each of them between his fingers. After confirming the handle on them, Claudius then flings his arms upwards, sending the beast-man flying into the air.

 **"[Beast Magic: Eagle Wings]!"** A pair of spectral orange wings sprouted from his back, slowing his decent back down to the ground.

"Sweet maws back at home, how many fucking animal traits are you packing in there?" Claudius sighed.

 **"Tell me..."** The beast-man _snarled_. **"Why aren't you feeling the despair yet?"**

"Pardon me?" Claudius mused. "What is this so-called _'despair'_ are you talking about?"

 **"The word 'despair'... a sensation of sheer helplessness in the face of unimaginable power."** His voice _rumbled_. **"The same** **sensation... that I felt during that day-"**

Claudius then punches the beast-man into his jaw, sending him flying towards the fallen stone fortress, leaving a very _deep_ impression of his physical form onto it.

"It was a rhetorical question, _you gargantuan oaf_." Claudius spat out. "It's just that why do you keep using that word without knowing what it really means?"

The beast-man emerges from the dent, while forcing his _dislocated_ jaw back into its proper place. **"What do you mean by that, you filthy human?"**

"Okay, first of all, you've got a few things wrong about me. "Claudius then spreads his wings open, revealing their black feathers. "Do regular humans normally possess wings on their backs?"

 **"Of course they do. They were envied our magic and stole it to have them."**

"Ugh..." Claudius _facepalms_. "Good fucking accursed lord above, you really are an idiot..."

 **"NOW FEEL DESPAIR!"** The beast-man files upward with his magical eagle wings and floats there before unleashing his _titanic_ attack. **"[Beast Magic: Whale Body]!"** A spectral whale surrounded the caster, sending its own bulk and weight down towards his foe.

Claudius then raises his hand upwards, catching the bloated fuck in its path before it can hit the ground.

"Do humans regularly possess the constitutional capacity to bench-press a _300,000-pound_ blue whale, one-handed and _without using magic_?"

 **"You bastard..."** The beast-man _growled_ through his spectral whale. **"JUST WHAT ARE YOU THEN!?"**

"If you excuse me, I was just about to get to that." He then pushes the whale upward off of his hand, right before digging his fist into its blubber-rich hide, elbow-deep, sending the beast-man flying out of his whale, and said whale dissipating in tandem with the beast-man hitting the ground.

"If you must know, I'm a Demon." He then places his foot onto the [Beast Magic] user's head. "A Fallen Angel, specifically."

The beast-man then begins to emit a sinister aura around him, causing him to slowly rise up against the Fallen Angel's heel.

 **"Human... Demon... It matters not."** His voice _echoed_. **"Because my power shall bring despair upon all the living."**

The beast-man then begins to levitate off the ground, opening a _third eye_ on his forehead.

 **"I AM VETTO! 'THE HOPELESS'! AS ONE OF THE THIRD EYE, I SHALL INSTILL TRUE DESPAIR INTO YOUR VERY SOUL, AS I GNAW ON YOUR FLESH AND BONES UPON YOUR DEFEAT!"** Vetto then opens his grimoire, preparing his new attack.

 **"[Ancient Beast Magic...]"**

"What." Claudius _flatly_ spoke out.

 **"[** **Dragonbreaavh** **]"** A spectral head of an _unknown creature_ was summoned from a magical portal, which it then breathes out a beam of reddish-black fire.

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** ... a few things have happened in this chapter.

One: Astaroth/Asta is slowly falling into the dark side.

Two: Eye of the Midnight Sun are being massacred in droves (Rades, Sally, George, Valtos, Heath, in that order).

Three: I've changed [Mythical/Demon/Monster Magic] to [Ancient Beast Magic] because a) It just rolls off the tongue better. And b) it just makes more sense in the context for this kind of magical world.

I'll get to that in the next chapter.

So what do you guys think?

Leave a review or comment, for I'd like to know what you're all thinking.


	8. Saga 8: Hell's Bell Part 3

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 8:** **Hell's Bells (Pt. 3)**

* * *

 **Gravitos Rock Belt, Eye of the Midnight Sun's Base Exterior (Dawn; about 4 hours until daylight)**

* * *

The reddish-black flames engulf the Demon completely.

 **"GHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"** Vetto bellowed out. **"HOW DOES IT FEEL!? DO YOU FEEL THE DESPAIR YET, YOU DAMN DEMON!? BURN FOR YOUR ARROGANCE! WALLOW IN YOUR DEFEAT! FOR I HAVE ENLIGHTENED YOU WITH THE ONLY TRUTH OF THIS WORLD! AND THAT IS-"**

"Tell me, Vetto, _'The Hopeless'_." A _voice_ was heard from the _roaring_ flames. "Do you feel _any_ euphoria of me feeling despair? If not, _anything_?"

Vetto's own words fail to come out of his mouth.

"I guess not much then." Claudius then emerges from the flames completely unharmed. "But for you, I've got _several_ things to get off of my chest to dump it all onto your furry ass."

 **"SHUT UP, YOU DAMN DEMON!"** Vetto then pounces toward the Fallen Angel, baring his claws towards him.

"First." Claudius grasps both of Vetto's hands, with each of his digits between his own. "The so-called [Ancient Beast Magic] that you use? That kind of shit is literal _child's play_ back at my home. Normally, a mage of your caliber would be smart enough to pack more then just _one_ attack, _right_?"

Vetto's eyes open wide in shock.

"... Please do not tell me that the only spell in [Ancient Beast Magic] that you know was _only_ [Dragonbreath]?"

 **"SHUT UP AND DIE, YOU DAMN DEMON!"** Vetto then tries to squeeze Claudius's hands with his fingers, but he wasn't even able to get him to budge.

"I was expecting to be disappointed, but you just had to lower the bar even _further_ down." Claudius's fingers then tighten into Vetto's own, only this time, the beast-man's hands were _crunched_ between the Demon's fingers, with said hands twisted into a demented _parody_ of their former form.

Only then, the beast-man's hands then _twist_ themselves back into their normal places on their own, thanks to the passive bonuses that [Ancient Beast Magic] provides.

 **"Heheheheheheh..."** Vetto laughs in a _low_ tone. **"So Demon, do you think you can kill me with that pansy-ass attack?"**

The Demon then rips off his burnt black cloak, revealing a scarred torso with a pair of raven-black wings on its back. "You better hope that I do it _quickly_."

The two fly towards each other, and Vetto gets immediately _shot back_ by the impact of Claudius's punch.

"Second, the way you fight is a complete joke." Claudius points out. "Your movements are sloppy, your own powers have completely devoured what little remaining sanity you had left, and even though I clearly showed you the difference between our power, your blows aren't even trying to kill me in one go." Claudius then _stomps_ onto Vetto's chest, digging his heel into it. "Are you still insistent on trying to teach me that so-called _'despair'_ , or are your blows that _weak_? Either way, by sunrise, I'll be wearing your hide like a damn coat."

 **"I said..."** Life then _pulses_ back into his body. **"SHUT UP!"** Vetto then grabs Claudius by his ankle and tosses him aside.

Claudius spreads out his wings, reducing his speed and taking the air. "And finally, you claim that you know the 'truth of the world'. And from your _insistent_ preaching, I'm assuming that _'truth'_ you speak of is _'despair'_?"

 **"SHUT UP! YOU KNOW NOTHING OF THE PAIN THAT WE ELVES SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF HUMANITY!"**

"Am I supposed to?" Claudius responded in an _unamused_ tone. "Because you're asking me, a _Demon_ , to _pity_ you, a dead man walking?"

 **"I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY! I WANT YOU DEAD!"** The beast-man prepares for another [Dragonbreath].

"You're asking for the impossible, you _mongrel_. "Claudius then pulls out from his partially intact pouch, a black apple depicting a face with a pair of _crossed-out_ eyes and a _sewn-shut_ smile.

He then consumes the whole apple in _one_ bite before _swallowing_ it whole.

 **"[Ancient Beast Magic: Dragonbreath]!"** Another torrent of blood-red flames devour Claudius's whole corporal form.

 **"GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"** Vetto gloated. **"HOW IS IT!? THE AGONY THAT WE FELT THAT DAY!? THE PAIN!?"**

 **"The _despair_?"** A deep, yet familiar voice emerged from the _crackling_ flames. **"You really love to milk that word _dry_ , dontcha?"**

The Demon then reveals himself from the fire, with his already-demonic visage now peaking at _infernal_ levels of _hellish_. On his forehead, a _third eye_ opened, the top of his head now _sprouting_ out a pair of long horns, his facial tattoo become more _twisted_ and _claw-like_ , his black hair now _snow-white_ , the wings on his back now numbering to _six_ , the _white_ of his eyes now _black_ , and his pupils now glowing _blood-red_.

 **"J-J-J-JUST WHAT ARE YOU!?"** The beast-man yelled.

 **"The _truth_ of the world. For I am now **_**death**_ **_incarnate_.** **The** _ **judge**_ **of _all_ your collective** ** _sins_. ****The** _ **witness**_ **to your** _ **inevitable**_ **end.** **And** **the** _ **executioner**_ **of your** _ **death sentence**_ **. In the name of our king, Apocrypha, the Hungry Joker, I shall teach you the true meaning of despair."**

The now ascended-Demon raises his hands, ready to beat the living crap out of this _cowering_ animal.

 **"Pray that your soul remains _remotely_ recognizable upon facing your maker."**

The now-empowered Demon suddenly appears before Vetto in a flash.

 **"Because I shall not."**

The empowered Fallen Angel then delivers an uppercut that sends Vetto's whole body hurling into the air. Vetto's hole in his chest heals immediately, no thanks to his [Ancient Beast Magic].

 **"GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MY WOUNDS HEAL FASTER THEN YOU CAN MAKE THEM!"**

 **"Then I'll simply kill you _faster_ then you can heal them."**

The beast-man then lets out another [Dragonbreath] from the air, but unlike last time, Claudius rends through the flames with his bare hands, causing Vetto to _stammer incoherently_ in _panic_.

 **"WHAT'S THE MATTER, KITTEN!? WHERE DID ALL OF YOUR LION'S SHARE OF BRAVADO GO!?"**

Claudius then _ups the ante_ by grabbing Vetto's mane, and throws him down back the _cold_ , stone earth below.

 **"Did you that your [Ancient Beast Magic] is based off a branch of [Demonic Arts] originating from the Seventh Circle of** **Hell: V** **iolence?"** Claudius then lands onto Vetto's chest, causing the _now-blubbering kitten_ roar in _unholy agony_. **"That little stunt of yours kinda _pissed_ me off."**

 **"So allow me to put your pansy-ass through the wringer with the true version of [Ancient Beast Magic], the [Demonic Arts Branch: Chimera]. Let's see how well your regeneration can keep up with it."**

The Fallen Angel then _moved_ , as the beast-man trys to stumble back up onto his feet.

 **"First, [Demonic Art: Ladon Flame]."** The Demon breathes out a wave of reddish-black flames to the beast-man from the above.

 **"Second, [Demonic Art: Sphinx Claw]."** Claudius's fingernails extend into sharp claws, rending through Vetto's flesh and bone.

 **"Third, [Demonic Art: Cerberus Fang]."** A fist dug into the beast-man's chest, leaving _three_ marks of impact on his chest.

 **"Fourth, [Demonic Art: Harpy Talon]."** Claudius then kicks up both of his feet towards the air, slashing at Vetto's chest, drawing even more blood out of his body.

 **"Fifth: [Demonic Art: Gorgon Eye]."** The Demon's left eye then glares at Vetto's own, causing him to become paralyzed to a _complete_ _standstill_.

 **"Sixth, [Demonic Art: Basilisk Lash]."** A reverse roundhouse kick from Claudius _punts_ the frozen beast-man into the dawn sky.

 **"Seventh, [Demonic Art: Arachne Form]."** At the beast-man's travel arc's zenith, Claudius grapples the frozen Vetto into an _incomprehensible_ shape, and _drops_ his _tangled_ body back down towards the earth.

 **"Eighth, [Demonic Art: Hydra Barrage]."** Just before Vetto can go back to his own impression _engraved_ into the earth, the Fallen Angel appears on his supposed landing spot, which he then proceeds to _air-juggle_ him with an _immeasurable_ flurry of uppercuts.

 **"Ninth, [Demonic Art: Manticore Point]."** As Claudius finishes with his barrage, he then strikes the statue-man's back with his finger, curing of his paralysis and untwisting his body back to humanoid shape, but in turn, sends the limp kitten flying back up again, but this time, leaving a _sonic boom_ behind.

 **"Tenth."**

Vetto then snaps back into his senses. He then realizes that he's _flying_.

And above him was Claudius, with both of his arms coiled around each other, ready to deliver the _finishing blow_.

 **"[Final Demonic Art]."**

 **"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

 **"Now die, knowing the _true_ meaning of _despair_."**

 ** _In the name our king, Apocrypha, the Hungry Joker._**

 ** _I sentence Vetto, "The Hopeless", to an eternity in the Fifth Circle of Hell: Anger._**

 **"[Typhon]."**

Vetto was _no more_. In its former place, an explosion of _blood_ and _mulch_.

The Demon's empowered form reverts back to its former state of _grey_ hair and _hornless_ brows.

"My goodness..." He looks back at the folly he's made behind him. "I've just wasted my precious time on that bitch..." Claudius then flies back toward the fortress where his prince was. "Please hurry, milord..."

The Fallen Angel then glances at the rising horizon. "Daylight's near."

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** It was short chapter, wasn't it?

I mean, my plan is to save the 1 VS 3 fight for the next chapter, since if I crammed in that fight scene into the same chapter, it would oversaturate this chapter.

On another topic;

Yes, I just made _two_ Hungry Joker references (the demonic-looking black apple and Apocrypha's Red Baron title), sue me.

And the [Demonic Arts Branch: Chimera] are _roughly_ based off the Rokushiki (Six Powers) from One Piece, (even with its own version of the Six King Gun), except more versatile and _only_ Demon-exclusive.

Oh, and there are other branches of [Demonic Arts] as well, so look forward to them.

Going off by the One Piece comparison, I like to think that the Magic in Black Clover are like the Devil Fruits, while Ki is like Haki, but only if the weakener versions of observation, armament, and possibly conqueror's all rolled into one.

Oh and on a small note, when Claudius said "neuter", he actually meant "completely obliterate".

So what do you guys think? Leave a review or a comment below, for I'd like to hear what you guys think.


	9. Saga 9: Hell's Bells Finale

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 9: Hell's Bells (Finale)**

* * *

 **Gravitos Rock Belt, Eye of the Midnight Sun's Base Interior (Dawn; about 2 hours until daylight)**

* * *

"I've made sure to hit the gaps between the platings, right!?" Raia questioned.

"You did, actually." Licht confirmed.

"He's literally has a puddle of his _own_ blood beneath him, right?"

"Even if... when I catheterized his cuts with my flames... he's still bleeding out... I think..." Fana added.

"Yeah, he's still _gushing_ out blood like a freshly-struck well of water."

"And I _repeatedly_ blasted him with [Light Magic: Divine Ray of Judgement], which in total, hypothetically has enough firepower to fry an _entire deserts_ in the Heart Kingdom to a field of _glass_ , right?"

"I think I saw a few rocks _melted_ to _lava_ and some of it _cooled_ to _obsidian_."

"Which, by the way, should've killed at least _one_ Demon, right?"

".. You know, I'm just gonna say this on the behalf of all of us."

"I would like a say, as well."

"Me... too..."

"Alright then... _three_... _two_... _one_..."

 **"HOW THE HELL ARE YOU EVEN STILL ALIVE!?"** The three yelled out in _unison_.

For the past two hours, the remaining members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun attacked the armored Fallen Angel with literally everything they had in their arsenal until their mana reserves went bone-dry.

Meanwhile, the Demons have just recently finished killing off every single member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun within this fortress, and now they're combing the whole area for any stragglers or salvage anything that can be repurposed into their use.

In front of them, the lone winged figure with the giant blade in his one hand and a battered/mutilated female figure wearing what's left of a pointed hat on his other hand.

"Tell me..." Licht whispered. "Why do you have _that_?"

"Gonna have to be more specific then that, pal." Astaroth deadpanned.

 **"THE SWORD, YOU BASTARD!"** The leader _roared_ out. **"WHY DO YOU HAVE THE DEMON-SLAYER SWORD?"**

"Oh, you mean this?" The Fallen Angel prince looks at the blade in his right. "Apparently, my preincarnation stole it from a dead... _elf_? I really can't remember. Been like about six months since I've heard much about it." He then points the sword towards the three. "And its name is Ravager, _got it_?"

 **"YOU'LL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!"** The leader then flies toward Astaroth, with a _murderous_ expression on his face and his hands pulling out a light-crafted _titanic_ broadsword with a rounded tip from his grimoire. **"[Light Creation Magic: Celestial Executioner's Blade]!"**

The sword of light then sweeps toward the Fallen Angel.

 **"DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"**

Astaroth's and Licht's blades meet, but despite one sword being able to cut through any magic and the other sword being made of [Light Magic], the two swords locked into each other's blades.

"What the..." Astaroth mumbled. "I CALL BULLSHIT! I THOUGHT THAT RAVAGER CAN CUT THROUGH ANYTHING THAT IS MADE OF MAGIC!"

"Ah, but that's where you're _mistaken_ , Demon." Licht spoke in a _disturbingly calm_ tone. "For I am _loved_ by mana, and this sword is the physical representation of said _love_. But I don't expect you, the one _loathed_ by mana, would ever understand." The light of the blade then grows even _bigger_.

"Now perish as my _beautiful love_ prevails over your _barbaric hate_." Astaroth then gets out of the blade's way, turning the tables completely in Licht's favor.

 _"Shit, shit, shit!"_ Astaroth parries every blow hailing above him with his own _"Think! Think! Think! Just how is he swinging that giant-ass sword of his without losing mana!?"_ He then notices something neat Licht's hands.

The handle itself was _not_ made of mana. It was an actual _physical_ object.

 _"Alright."_ Astaroth tightens his grip around the handle of Ravager. _"Only one shot at this..."_ Astaroth then charges forth once more.

"It's useless." The leader then winds his blade around his other shoulder.

Astaroth then ducks under the swing, then counterattacks with an angled upward swing with Ravager, towards Licht's _wrist_.

The sword of light falls onto the floor, revealing itself _not_ as a magical construct, but as a regular longsword that was smaller than Ravager, yet, similarly looking with black rust covering its blade, and around its handle, was Licht's _severed_ hand.

Licht then looks at his _trembling_ stump.

 ** _"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_**

As the scream of agony reverabrated throughout the fallen fortress. Astaroth then pries the fallen sword from its cold fingers and his hands claim it as their own.

 **"REJOICE! BEHOLD THE HERALD OF THE END OF ALL MAGIC! THE LORD OF WAR, BRINGER OF CARNAGE AND DEATH UNTIL THE TWILIGHT OF CREATION... YOU NOW WITNESS PRINCE ASTAROTH'S ADVENT TO HIGHER POWER!"** Claudius then suddenly comes out of nowhere. "Oh. Apologizes, milord. I've been saving that line specifically for this occasion."

"Wait, getting another sword that looks like Ravager calls for a celebration?"

"Why yes, milord." Claudius replied with an _eager_ tone. "For collecting all nine of those blades are pivotal to our plan of cleansing this world of its mana."

And while the two were conversing, Raia decides to take this opportunity to use [Copy-to-Spatial Magic] to open up a small portal underneath Fana's feet with what little mana that he has left in him.

And she would've gotten away _completely_ unnoticed,

"RAIA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING!?"

... If she just learned to shut that mouth of hers.

"AW SHIT!" Astaroth exclaimed. "SHE'S GETTING AWAY!"

"NOT IF I CAN HELP IT! APOLOGIZES FOR MY POSSIBLE TRANSGRESSIONS, MILORD!" Claudius then snatches Ravager from Astaroth's hands and throws the sword blade-first towards the escaping [Fire & Crystal Magic] user.

And he would've made his mark, if it weren't for the fact that Licht, with the last of his breath, threw himself into the sword's trajectory, taking Ravager's 14-inch-wide blade to the ribs.

"Licht..." Fana muttered upon seeing the leader impaled.

"FORGET ABOUT ME AND LICHT, FANA! YOU HAVE TO LIVE!" Raia shouted out desperately.

"LICHT!" Fana reached out in futility as she slowly sinks into the void below.

"Oh... shit." Claudius cursed.

 _"SOMEONE COMB THE WHOLE OUTSIDE AREA! WE'VE GOT ONE TANGO GETTING AWAY! I REPEAT! WE'VE GOT ONE TANGO GETTING AWAY!"_ Claudius relayed telepathically.

Astaroth then hears a few panicked voices and a various sounds of wings fluttering in a hurry.

"Now then..." Claudius then approaches the barely-breathing Licht, which he then proceeds to pull Ravager out of his sides. "Milord, the five-leaf."

"Oh, right." Astaroth then opens his grimoire, which then stores the bloodied Ravager inside of its pages. "Hey, Claudius."

"Yes, milord?" Claudius then drags the barely-conscious Raia by his hair.

"That guy called Ravager a _Demon-Slayer Sword_." He then points to the significantly smaller blade. "What's this called, then?"

"That milord, is called the _Demon-Banisher Sword_." Claudius coined. "And just like Ravager, it can also cut through anything magic related like hot knife through butter, but this one comes with a little _extra_."

"An... _extra_?" Astaroth questioned.

"Yes, like its name implies, this blade has the ability to separate a foreign spiritual entity from its host spirit. For example, should you see someone being possessed by someone else, just the mere touch of this steel can expel that intruder without issue, but that's all it can do at a hands of a mana-user. But for us Demons, it can do more."

"Like what?"

"How about you give it go at the leader?" He suggested. "However, do not kill him, for its effect can only activate if the target is still living."

Astaroth then gives a light tap with the flat of the blade onto Licht's head.

Licht then opens his eyes wide open. "Where... where did it go?" His breathing suddenly begins to spike to quickening levels. "WHERE DID MY [Light Magic] GO!?"

"You mind explaining this to me?" Astaroth asked.

"Oh yes." Claudius then clears his throat. "What that sword just did was _turn off_ that mage's elemental affinity."

"Wait, what does that mean?"

"It means that the person can't use its grimoire, but they still constitute on having magic."

"So its like you having magic, but can't use it except for the bare basics."

"Exactly milord."

"You... Demons..." Licht heaved out from his chest wounds. "Just why are you doing this? Don't you see that our cause is just? That the real sinners are the humans living in the Clover Kingdom?"

"And you're expecting us to sympathize with your sorry excuse of a cause?" Claudius scoffed. "If you're going persuade us, then at least state your defense."

"Very well." Then the leader then begins to tell his story.

"Once, there were a race of people who were loved by mana. They were able to conjure storms, tame the wildest of natural elements at their fingertips, and the word of their might spread throughout the land, with people worshiping them as gods." Then Licht's tone goes dark. "However, as time went by-"

" _Humanity became envious of their powers and eventually took it for themselves_ , blah, blah, blah. Yeah, I've already heard that shit a thousand times before." Claudius then picks up Licht by his neck. "So, tell me. Who was it that attacked your people during the reception?"

"How did you-"

"Not important. Tell me _now_."

Licht then grits his teeth. "It was the humans-"

"Wrong answer." Claudius then throws him onto the floor. "I'll give a hint; the assailant's name rhymes with the word _'liar'_ , and he's known you since childhood."

Licht's eyes then open up in shock upon the realization.

 **"Raia."** He whimpered out. "PLEASE DON'T TELL ME AS SO-"

"Tch. Guess the jig's up, eh?" Raia grumbled. "Yep. It was me, Licht. I was the one who killed them." He spoke in a solemn tone.

"Why... **WHY!?** " Licht _roared_ through his tears.

"Should I tell him for you?" Claudius asked the revealed traitor.

"Peh. At this point, he'll believe in anything. Go ahead."

"As you requested." Claudius then begins to tell the "true" story.

"Once, there was an elf woman living outside of her village. She was exiled from her birthplace for having a forbidden affinity. That affinity was [Dark Magic], which was scorned upon during her time. One day, she met another elf was also kicked out of his own village, and the two began traveling with each other, and eventually, they formed an _unbreakable_ bond with one another."

He then sighs out a breath. "Then one night, the male elf was out in the rain gathering food, while the female was at her cottage, waiting for him to come back home. After waiting for _hours_ , the man came back home, but something was... _off_ about him."

"Can I tell him the rest?" Raia droned. "I think he needs it to hear this part from _me_."

"If you insist."

Raia then takes a breath. "My mother's actual lover was _dead_. In his place was a bastard wearing his hide. His name was _Lupi, 'The Thousand Man'_. One of the very few _human_ magic-users at the time. A notorious bandit with a [Copy Magic] affinity that stole my would-be father's face, and after that, I was born into this world, _without_ my mother's _consent_."

Everyone in the room had the look of _utter horror_ on their faces. Even Claudius looked like that he was going to _vomit_.

"Yep, you've heard that right, _Patry_. Licht's and Tetia's union weren't the first bridge between humans and elves. In fact, the world's first _half-elf_ born into this world was none other than _me_ , between a union of an unwilling exile who lost the only thing that mattered to her in this world, and human sicko who just happened to be there at that exact time."

"But... if you were an _half-elf_ , then surely, the others at the village would've _noticed_."

"True, but let's just say that I took _a lot_ after my mother. Enough to keep you and your whole village fooled for over a decade or so. Hell, the only thing I got from that son of a bitch was his [Copy Magic] affinity and his gender." Raia spat out. "Anyway, for the first five years of my life, my mother did nothing but cry on the table, beat the crap out of me on occasion, and during my sixth birthday, she made me a birthday cake, and a _noose_ for herself."

"Try putting the two and two together." Claudius told everyone else.

Licht's eyes then begins to tear up. "I'm so sorry that I didn't notice it sooner..."

"Don't be." Raia _dryly_ replied. "After that, I took whatever was left in the house into a burlap sack and made my way towards wherever the wind took me."

His gaze then grows _duller_ and _duller_. "On the road, I ran into a weirdo who was selling an assortment knickknack accessories. I didn't have nor knew money, so I ignored him. That would've been the case if he didn't grab my hand and place a weird looking red amulet into it. He says that the amulet that he gave me was meant to grant a miracle at your darkest times. I didn't believe anything that he said, but I'm not the kind of guy who would turn away a free item, so I let it sit in the bottom of my sack for a while."

Raia then looks towards Patry. "So tell me, can you recall the first time that we've ever met at the village?"

"Of course I could..." Patry then trails off as he realized that none of his memories of Raia were consistent. "Wait... why can't I?"

 _"Because it actually never happened."_

Licht goes into shock once again.

"About my [Copy Magic], I just happened to run into _another_ human mage, who just happened to have [Memory Magic], but its potency is only extended to making people forget a few details at a time. Perfect for a guy who tried to scam out passing travelers for his brewed snake oil, and hell, I tagged along with him for a good while. With the touch of his grimoire while he was occupied with another sucker, I copied and memorizing his magic and made a run for the hills while he himself had a _lynch mob_ at his heels. With my elf heritage giving me larger mana reserves, I can now _completely_ manipulate anyone's memories to suit my personal whims."

"So that's how you got into the village."

"Yep. All I had to do was brainwash a childless couple into thinking that I was their kid, and go around the village doing the same to everyone else." Raia smirked. "It was a pain in the ass, but at least I had a roof over my head, and for the next few years, all I had to do was lay low for the rest of my life and everything would've been hunky-dory."

Raia then lets out an exasperated sigh. "Then the talks of Licht marrying a _human_ woman spread around the whole village, and as you can tell, it brought back _very_ unpleasant memories for me." Raia's face then contorts into a _twisted smile_. "And I'm assuming that you're smart enough to figure the rest out for yourself."

Patry's face then twists into an expression of complete and _utter_ horror and _heartwrenching_ grief. "It was you that brought that rain of light on that day..."

"Nah. The rain _wasn't_ from me." Raia objected. "I just sliced the bride and groom in two while wearing the first Wizard King's face and tried to make a run for it afterwards. Although where the did that rain come from, hell if I know."

Astaroth then looks at Claudius with a _questioning look_.

"No milord. Even I do not know where the rain came from. But one thing was for sure, it wasn't Alpha's."

He then scratches the back of his head. "But if it makes you feel any better Patry, I got my leg sliced off during the panic, and in my dying breaths, I decided to use that weird-looking red amulet that I had sitting in my pocket, and decided to grant myself the only wish that I could think of."

"Which is?" Astaroth asked.

 _"Basically kill every living thing in this world."_ Raia offhandedly scoffed.

"Should I tell him _that_ part, Raia?" Claudius asked.

"Peh. Go ahead. About to be dead man here."

"In essence, that is how our King Apocrypha entered this world. And us Demons followed suit." Claudius informed. "What we didn't see coming, was that our king would be struck down by some **_human upstart_** -" Claudius stops himself before he could raise his voice. "Ahem, excuse myself, I almost lost myself there."

"You want me to take over, buddy?" Raia asked.

"If you insist."

"So to summarize; yes, I technically betrayed you and your village, I was the one who literally sold my soul to the literal devil that was later killed off by the first Wizard King, _Alpha Rune_ , and during my time at here, I was secretly laughing my ass off on your pointless endeavors and your unchanged naivete." Raia then smirks at Patry, who was crying out a literal puddle. "But hey, water under bridge, _right_?"

" _Two_ questions." Patry whispered.

"I'm all ears."

"Why did you let Fana go?"

"Because she was just as _fucked up_ on the inside as me." Raia answered. "I mean, after being brought back into this timeline, I had to start over with my collection, but since you were the first one to introduce me to your little terrorist group, there were plenty of affinities to copy from, and surprise surprise, there was a [Memory Magic] in your flock." Raia then lets out a yawn. "So when I saw you bring a girl to this organization, I decided to take a little peek into her head. And _hoo boy_ , the kind of shit I saw in her noggin almost made wanna _puke_. And I'll leave it at the fact that we're kind of a _birds of a feather_. Plus she's still _young_ , and I wanted to protect her from the painful truth."

"So that's why..." Patry muttered. "Then here's my second question." He then sighs out. "Why couldn't you let go of your past and live with us in peace?"

Raia then burst out _howling_ in _laughter_. Gradually, his laughter ceases into wheezes. " _You_ , _mister-I-want-to-kill-every-human-in-Clover-Kingdom-for-destroying-my-village_ , is telling _me_ to let it go?" He then bursts out laughing again, rolling on his sides. The laughter ceases again, and Raia was coughing. "That's the most legitimately hilarious thing that I've ever heard in my literal _two_ lives in this world, _you fucking hypocrite_." His tone goes from _faux-jovial_ to _maliciously deep_.

"I am Raia, **_'the Faithless'_**. That is _true_ about me in _every_ way possible. I had zero faith in both humanity and the elves. I was born as a corpse, lived as a vermin, fed on rotten meat off of its bones, manipulated everyone around me for my personal gain, and found meaning in absolutely _nothing_. The world around me can _rot_ under feet for all I give two shits, every sound ringing in my ears can go _silent_ for all I care, and every living thing in this pitiful world can _die_ around me if I wished for it."

"In other words, a nihilist to the very core of its existence." Claudius commented.

"Can I pity him, Claudius? I don't want to dirty my hands on his non-existent blood." Astaroth spat out.

Patry said nothing.

"So, Bael. The contract." Raia sighed out.

"Yes, I am to condemn you soul to Hell, after all." Claudius spoke out.

"Wait, what?" Astaroth spoke.

"I was around this world before the king itself set foot onto it." He explained. "I frequently went to Hell and back freely, handing out soul contracts to desperate souls like him until King Apocrypha was reduced to a _skull_ and the door itself was sealed away. Ever since then, me and the others outside of the gate were marooned here for the past millennium." He then turns toward the giggling madman. "So, I'll ask you one last time. Are you okay with your soul going to Hell?"

"Do as you please."

"Milord, permission to use your sword."

Astaroth then pulls out Ravager from his five-leaf and hands it to Claudius.

"Do you have any last words, Raia, _'the Hopeless'_?"

He just _smirks_ at the _now-broken_ Patry/Licht.

"See you in Hell, buddy."

 ** _In the name our king, Apocrypha, the Hungry Joker._**

 ** _I sentence Raia, "The Faithless", to an eternity in the Eighth Circle of Hell: Fraud._**

Raia's head hits the ground as his body knelt at the same place.

The former leader of Eye of the Midnight Sun is now reduced to a _pitiful_ state of mad laughter and blubbering tears as the world that built up for the past hypothetical millennium is crumbling around him.

"I think he completely lost it." Astaroth commented.

Patry then proceeds to _bash_ his head into the stone floor, and continues to do so as his head begins to draw _blood_.

"Correction: he's already lost it." The Fallen Angel prince deadpanned.

"Would you like to do the deed yourself while I recite his sentence?" Claudius offered.

Astaroth the takes out his recently-acquired Demon-Banisher Sword from his five-leaf. "Recite it."

"Of course, milord."

 ** _In the name our king, Apocrypha, the Hungry Joker._**

 _ **I sentence Patry, leader of the former organization, Eye of the Midnight Sun, to an eternity in the Sixth Circle of Hell: Heresy.**_

The midnight sun falls to twilight.

"Hey Claudius, I think I figured out the name for this sword."

"And what would it be?" Claudius asked.

" _Reject_." Astaroth mused. "This sword will reject this filthy world of its mana, purifying it for a new era."

"THEN I, CLAUDIUS NERO BAEL, PRINCE ASTAROTH'S LOYAL VASSAL, HERE BY BRAND THEE BLADE AS 'REJECT'!" Claudius applauded to the heavens above. "Hold a second milord." Claudius then taps into his brain while Astaroth puts Reject away into his five-leaf.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'SHE GOT AWAY'!?" Claudius _roared_ out. "ATTENTION ALL PERSONNEL. I HEREBY DECLARE THIS OPERATION A FAILURE! I REPEAT. THIS OPERATION IS A FAILURE! EVERYONE GET BACK TO HOME BASE WITH WHATEVER YOU CAN FIND AND TAKE FROM THIS BASE!" Claudius then turns to his prince with a panicked expression on his face. "Apologizes for my vulgar mannerisms, milord. But it seems that one has gotten away."

"And daylight's coming right?" Astaroth states.

"We should make haste before more people sees all of the mess we've made."

The two then fly out of the fallen fortress and out of any prying eyes as daylight burns bright behind them.

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** With that, the first major arc is over and done with.

The Eye of the Midnight Sun is now dead, Third Eye is dead (sans Fana), Licht/Patry is dead, and yet the operation was a failure since one witness got away.

 _Pyrrhic_ _victory_? In the long run, might as well be.

Also, I know that the third Anti-Magic sword is still unnamed, so in this fic, it shall be christianed as the _Demon-Banisher Sword_ , _Reject_.

Now Astaroth has his canon Demon-Slayer Sword, Ravager, and Demon-Banisher Sword, Reject.

Now that our beloved Fallen Angel prince received his pound of flesh, now it's Yuno's turn next.

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience is thinking.

Update (29 December, 2018): My headcanon is that the Heart Kingdom is mostly comprised of deserts, despite abundant of resources. My headcanon is that the Heart Kingdom is based off the Saudi Arabia depicted in the 10th century. Thought it be the best way to differentiate from Clover's Renaissance Italy and Diamond's implied Spartan Greece.

Spade Kingdom?

We'll see.


	10. Saga 10: Birth of a Hero

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 10: Birth of the Hero**

* * *

 **Royal Capital, Magic Knights Entrance Exam Venue, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Morning)**

* * *

After three days of trekking through nature on foot, the two sigh in relief upon seeing that they've reached the location at last.

"Huff... we did it Asta..." Yuno speaks to the black sash tied onto his wrist.

"Well what are you waiting for! Come on!" Juniper/June grabs Yuno by his wrist and drags him along into the city.

Around them, there were various vendors selling myriad kinds of food, magic tools, and all sorts of things that a peasant can dare to dream to even think were all here.

A man with purple jacket and a slicked-back blond hair approaches.

"Bah-ha! Tell, dear fair maiden, just what god's green earth are you?"

"What." Juniper flatly spoke.

"Bah-ha! Starstruck, are you?" The man then twirls back and strikes a dramatic pose. "Well fear not, for you now have the privilege to date the prestigious Sekk-"

Having just about enough of this lech, Juniper kicks him in the _crotch_ , toe-first.

"BAH-HA!?" The man then slumps on the ground, curled up in pain. "M-My... bah-halls..."

"We're going, Yuno." She then grabs Yuno by the wrist and the two head their way to where the exams are taking place.

The two get in line until the two are called up.

"Juniper Hage. From Hage Village." She then presents her grimoire.

"You're #163. Please head to the main amphitheater until further notice." She then heads into the door. The register then calls for the next person in line.

"Yuno, also from Hage Village."

"May I see your grimoire?" The man behind the counter asked.

Yuno then presents his four-leaf.

"A f-four-leaf clover!?" Then the man then fervently rips out a ticket with his number on it. "You're #164."

Yuno then heads into the main amphitheater where the other contestants were gathered.

"Hey... is that!?"

"Two people from Hage..."

"And one of them being a _four-leaf_..."

"But the auburn girl doesn't look too bad, either..."

"Ugh, people are staring at us..." Juniper groaned. A single black bird lands on her shoulder. She then notices that some contestants had one or more of the same birds on them.

 _"Agh... what the hell are these things?"_

 _"Anti-Birds, apparently."_

 _"You mean the same birds that are attracted to people with less magic?"_

 _"Depending on how many of them are there, it gauges your magic."_

 _"Aw shit... I got a few on me..."_

Around Yuno and a few others, no Anti-Birds were on them.

 _"As expected from a four-leaf..."_ The contestants all thought collectively.

Yuno then bumps into someone. "Oh sorry..."

The giant mulleted man with formal clothing with leather gloves turned to Yuno. "N-No... it's me that should apologize, especially after such an uncouth act in front of a woman..."

Despite his physical bulk and implied noble stature, the man was sort of meek with a gentlemanly vibe coming from him. He then turns to raised platforms.

"The exams are starting." The man then runs toward another area. "I'll talk to you two later, alright?" He then disappears into the crowd, except not really.

The young man was visible above his shoulder due to how ridiculously tall he is.

On the raised platform, nine figures were seated. A masked man, a man with a braid between his eyes, a lanky man with a slasher-like grin, a man with a crimson tattoo on his forehead, a woman with a silver helmet and breastplate, a sleeping woman in pink, a portly man with an iron mask, a young man with a puffed up bluish-white hair, and an intimidating man with muscles bulging from his white tank-top.

"Everyone." The masked man spoke to the contestants. "Welcome to the Magic Knights Entrance Exam. I am the captain of Golden Dawn, William Vangence, and the nine captains here will evaluate your overall performance. The select candidates will be chosen to become one of Magic Knights of one of the nine squads."

"Those who don't qualify will be asked to leave immediately." The braided man cut in.

"Now then." Captain Vangence then opens his grimoire. "[World Tree Magic: Descent]." Tree roots than descend from the skies, with each end of the root sporting out a broom. "Your first test will be to ride these brooms. This will test your control over your magic. If you cannot fly properly on these brooms, this will greatly affect your chances on your chances to become a Magic Knight. You may now begin."

The contestants then grab their brooms. Some shot off into the air, some were barely able to get a feet or two off the ground, and everyone else, for the most part, were doing just fine.

Yuno and a few others however, were already executing daring aerial stunts with their brooms. Yuno himself flying while standing on his broom.

Juniper meanwhile, she was the moderate majority.

 _"Holy shit..."_

 _"Guess that's a four-leaf for ya..."_

After the flying lessons, the next exams included Magic Ability Control, Magic Creation, and Magic Development. Yuno and Juniper managed for the most part.

"Now then. This will be the final exam." Captain Vangence stated.

"YOU'LL BE BATTLING!" The tattooed man _roared_ out. "FOR COMBAT IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF BEING A MAGIC KNIGHT!"

"You may choose you own opponent however you feel like it, but choose wisely, for impairment in judgement will also greatly affect your results."

"SO FIGHT TO YOU HEART'S CONTENT!" The contestants then began pairing up with their opponents/victims.

Juniper spots the same man that tried to hit on her this morning, and partnered up with him for double punishment.

Yuno was then approached by a young man of noble stature, but the same giant man that he ran into earlier took him on in his place.

"Consider this on how I owe you." The man then walks away with his supposed opponent.

Yuno is then paired up with the last person available.

A silver-haired pig-tailed girl.

"First combatants come forth!" Juniper and the blond man enter the makeshift ring.

"Oh? So you really can't stay away from me, bah-ha?"

"Nah." Her gaze then turns _predatory_. "Just want to rip you a new one."

"State your names!"

"Sekke Bronzazza, bah-ha." The man stated.

"Juniper Hage." She then cracks her knuckles and stretches her neck sideways.

"BEGIN!"

"Just because you're a lady, doesn't mean I'll hold back!" He then opens his grimoire. "[Bronze Creation Magic: Sekke Magnum Cannonball]." A spherical barrier with funnels spewing out smoke coming out from all sides is formed around Sekke. "Now come! With everything you've got! Bah-ha!"

Juniper just smirks. "Your funeral, buddy." She then opens her grimoire. "[Leaf Magic: Cultivation- Skunkweed]." A small, grass-like leaf with serrated edges on its side flutters to the ground.

"Bah-ha! Is that all you've got!?" He gloated.

"Trust me, pal." She then wraps her nose and mouth with a piece of thick cloth. "I don't even need to lift a finger to put you flat on your ass."

The leaf then hits the ground, emitting a _repulsive_ and _burning_ scent that _instantly_ fills the whole arena.

 _"OH GOD! THE SMELL!"_

 _"MY NOSE IS ON FIRE!"_

 _"MY EYES ARE ON FIRE!"_

 _"SOMEBODY SHUT OFF THE SMELL!"_

Yuno meanwhile, was _nonplussed_ by the stench, since he activated [Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble- Ventilator] around his head.

The same _cannot_ be said for the captains, however.

Captain Vangence was on the verge of vomiting over the edge, the braided man was currently _crawling_ his way to the nearest exit, the lady in pink went from "sleeping with her eyes closed" to "fainted with her eyes open", the armored woman was running out of her seat like a bat out of hell, the portly captain all but _disappeared_ , the redheaded man with the tattoo was slumped over the ledge, the young man with the sky-blue hair was attempting to drown himself in a bucket of _paint_ , the lanky man already made a run for it, and even the burly man with the tank top was _gagging_ a vomit in his mouth.

"Heh heh, surprised?" She mocked at Sekke, who was currently on his knees, vomiting inside his own refuge. "I got that from one of my elder brother's botany projects. Short story even _shorter_ , the whole mansion stunk like an outhouse for a _month_ straight, but I sure as hell developed hell of a tolerance."

Yuno then recalls a faint stench that permeated the entire village a few years back.

 _"If I meet Rowan again, I'll give him a chat."_

"EVERYONE! WE'RE CALLING FOR A RECESS! I REPEAT. WE'RE CALLING FOR A RECESS!"

"Can you at least declare the winner?" Juniper innocently asked.

"THE WINNER IS JUNIPER HAGE! NOW PUT THAT LEAF AWAY!"

The leaf disappears, but the stench still _lingers_.

"You... want to resume this another time?" The staff asked Captain Vangence.

"No need, good sir." Juniper assured. "I'll clear the air myself." She then opens her grimoire once more. "[Leaf Recovery Magic: Aromatherapy- Mint]." A smaller leaf appears on her hand, which then emits a _minty_ and _clean_ scent throughout the whole amphitheater.

 _"MY NOSE IS BACK!"_

 _"I CAN SEE AGAIN!"_

 _"I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA DIE!"_

Sekke, currently fainted on a puddle of his own vomit, the staff carries him out in a stretcher. The rest of the staff then use their [Water Magic] and [Wind Magic] to clean up all the vomit plastered on the arena floor.

* * *

 ** _30 Minutes Later..._**

* * *

Everyone except Yuno glared daggers at Juniper after she pulled that stunt a while back.

At least there were no vomit left on the floor.

"Next... pair... please step up..." The staff member groaned.

The pair consists of a man with long flowing blond hair, wearing fancy clothing befitting a noble.

The other was a slightly burly young man witha dark blue mullet, wearing less fancy, but more practical clothes, and on his hands were a pair of leather gloves that reached below his elbows.

"State your names..."

"Salim de Hapshass." The young man arrogantly stated.

 _"He's a noble, isn't he?"_

 _"I heard that he's exceptional in [Lightning Magic]."_

 _"Thank god I ain't facing him."_

"Jericho Platnia." The taller man stated with a humbler tone.

 _"Wait, PLATNIA!?"_

 _"YOU MEAN HE'S RELATED TO THE SILVAS!?"_

 _"Holy shit, he's a royalty!?"_

 _"Now I kinda feel bad for the Hapshass..."_

 _"This outta be fun to watch..."_

The said Hapshass was not having any of it.

"BEGIN!"

"So you're royalty right?" Salim spoke in a _hostile_ tone.

"Should that mean anything to you?" Jericho retorted.

"I'LL SHOW YOU THAT I AM NOT TO BE UNDERESTIMATED!" He then opens his grimoire. "[Lightning Magic: God of Lighting's Wrath, Vengeful Salim]!"

A flash of lightning strikes Jericho.

"HAHAHAHAHA! HOW'S THAT, YOU ARROGANT BASTARD-"

Salim then stops himself upon seeing Jericho unharmed, with his [Lightning Magic] now _literally_ on his fingertips.

"[Platinum Creation Magic: Star Finger]." Jericho stated. On his raised index and middle finger, was a metallic mold around it with a thread of metal going straight to the ground. "And your next line is: _'How did you stop my lightning?'_."

"H-H-HOW!? HOW DID YOU STOP MY LIGHTNING!?"

"Simple." Jericho stated. "Have you ever heard of a 'lightning rod'?"

"JUST WHAT THE FUCK IS A LIGHTNING ROD!?"

"A lightning rod is a metal rod that attracts all incoming lightning so that it can be safely be dispersed into the ground." He explained. "Since lightning runs on the principle of electricity, it will often go for the fastest way down to the ground to disperse its release of energy."

"WHAT THE FUCK DOES ALL THAT MEAN!?"

"I just simply turned myself into a lightning rod with a metal thread attached to my metal fingers that run into the ground. And these gloves that I'm wearing are not magical in nature, they're, in fact, just have a layer of rubber underneath, so I'm safe from becoming a conductor myself." Jericho then twirls his lightning-imbued finger over his head, right before he whips said lightning back to Salim.

"You can have it back now."

The redirected lightning strikes Salim, shocking him into a charcoal outline.

"You..." The _still standing_ noble hissed out. "You're just an inventor... nothing more than an artisan whose family threw away their noble status just so that they can tinker more with their tools..." Salim then devolves into laughter. "YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A MEASLY INVENTOR FROM A FAMILY OF MEASLY INVENTORS! AS A NOBLE, IT'S MY DUTY TO ENSURE THAT THE REPUTATION OF THE NOBLE REALM REMAINS UNSULLIED BY MAKING YOU PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!" Salim then opens his grimoire for another attack. "[Lightning Magic: God of Lightning's Punishment, Salim Strike]!" A bolt of lightning envelops in his fist. "AND THE FIRST THING I'LL DO TO YOU IS TO SHAVE OFF THAT STUPID MULLET OF YOURS!"

"Just what..."

 **"DIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEE!"** Salim bolts toward Jericho with an intent to _kill_.

But just before his thunderbolt fist can reach him, a _punch_ made of _platinum_ digs into Salim's face.

 **"[Platinum Creation Magic: Stardust Knuckle]."** Jericho then _glares_ at the punched Salim. "Just what..."

 _"Jus wa?"_

 **"JUST WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY HAIR!?"** The platinum punches then comes as a _barrage_.

" **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"**

The poor battered noble was _juggled_ in the air for about a full _minute_. The man was then sent flying towards the wall at the end of the amphitheater with a one final-

 **"ORA!"**

The supersonic punch _cracks_ the air, and along with Salim's _cranium_.

And presumably _everywhere else_.

... He may never walk again.

"... The winner is Jericho Platnia." The staff spoke in a flat tone. "... Somebody get a doctor to look at him."

Salim, meanwhile, he was embedded into a brick wall with his face beaten and battered like an _egg_. His body, arms, and legs twisted like a bramble of ivy on a wall.

In short, a complete _curbstomp_.

Jericho then points his finger at the battered Salim while striking a dramatic pose. "Two things. First, my family are no mere inventors. We're a family of _innovators_. And second, the reason why you lost was not because of my royalty status or because of my magic." His tone drops a few debacles below _menacing_.

 **"You lost because you pissed me off."**

 _"I'm sure glad I did not piss him off."_ The contestants collectively thought.

Then the matches went as scheduled. Pair by pair, contestants fought, magic were unleashed upon each other, and one remained standing for each bout. This went on until Yuno and the silver-haired girl was left in the ring.

"State your names." The staff spoke out.

"Yuno."

 _"Hey, it's that four-leaf from the boonies."_

 _"But a four leaf still a four-leaf, right?"_

 _"Oh man, this is gonna get weird..."_

"Noelle Silva." The silver-haired girl spoke out with an arrogant tone.

 _"Holy shit, another royalty..."_

 _"But I've heard rumors that her magic can't even hit a broad side of a barn even if her life depended on it..."_

 _"So we got a four-leaf hick against a talentless princess..."  
_

 _"Forget about weird, this outta be fun to watch..."_

 _"Aw shit, I wish I bought a popcorn for this..."_

Noelle then shifts around in _discomfort_.

"Hey." Yuno spoke out.

The girl _flinches_.

"Don't let them get to you, okay?"

"Hmph!" The girl huffed. "I'm royalty, and even if you're a _four-leaf_ , it doesn't change the fact that you're a peasant."

It was obvious that the girl was trying to save face, but Yuno wasn't fooled.

He would help her now, but priorities of passing this exam comes _first_.

 _"Watch me, Asta!"_ He then balls his hand into a fist.

"BEGIN!"

"Allow me to put you in your place." She then opens her grimoire. "[Water Magic: Naga's Fang]!" She then fires a blast of water... only for said blast to take a _sharp_ 90-degree turn and hit one of the audience members _instead_.

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?"

"GO HOME, YOU DAMN NOVICE!"

"SHUT UP!" She shouted. "I'M NOT STOPPING HERE! I'M NOT GIVING UP!"

Yuno then opens his grimoire. "If that's what you're saying, then I won't, either." He then readies his attack. "[Wind Magic: Vacuum Grenade]!" He then throws a ball of pressurized air towards the girl, which then explodes on contact.

When the dust settles, the girl is revealed to be surrounded in a _dome of water_ that acted as a barrier against his attack.

 _"WAIT, SHE SURVIVED!?"_

 _"Well if she can't land a hit, at least she can take it..."_

 _"Could someone save my spot? Now I really need to get popcorn for this..."_

"Hmph." She huffed. "For a _four-leaf_ , your magic hits like a wimp." But internally speaking, she was hyperventilating to the point of really needing a paper bag.

"Sorry." Yuno stated. "I didn't want accidentally hurt you more than I should."

"It matters not." She responded with a firm voice. "Now come at me with all you got!" She then opens her grimoire. "[Water Creation Magic: Naga's Refuge]." Her water dome is reinforced with another.

"Alright then..." Yuno then limbers up before opening up his grimoire.

He then _flash-steps_ toward Noelle, with his hand _on_ the dome.

"[Wind Magic: Vacuum Cup]." Air then compresses into Yuno's pressed palm. He then _rips_ his palm off the dome, ripping her defenses upon removing a piece of the barrier.

Her defenses are now gone. In desperation, she fires a blast of water, and it would've hit her mark, but not because of it hitting somewhere else, but because Yuno just _simply tilted his head away from it_.

His hand then forms another ball of wind as it then places it onto her stomach. "[Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble- Burst]."

The air bubble explodes, then the girl is sent flying towards the audience as her cushion.

"THE WINNER IS YUNO!" The staff announced.

Yuno then sprints toward where the girl flew towards, and upon seeing her, he then extends his hand toward her.

She then slaps the hand away from her. "Get your filthy hands away from me, you peasant." She then brushes herself off as she walks away, moping.

* * *

 ** _Later on That Day..._**

* * *

The sun was now setting, and everyone was gathered in the main theater in anticipation.

Then one of the staff members shows up with the results in his hands.

"And now with the results in order, we may now begin the selection." The armored woman stated. "The squad captains will raise their hands if they like the announced candidate to join their squads. You are, of course, free to accept or decline on which squad they like to join."

"But if no one raises their hands, that candidate will not join the ranks of the Magic Knights." The tattooed man spoke out.

"And you'll be told to leave immediately." The braided man spoke in an icy tone.

From there, the selection began.

One by one, contestants were rejected, with only a handful of them being accepted, with literally only _two_ of them being accepted into Golden Dawn and Silver Eagles.

And that was only the first hundred. The next hundred were up next.

"Number 122, please come forth."

#122 is revealed to be Jericho Platnia. The tall youth then steps out of the crowd and presents himself toward the nine captains.

"Would the captains raise their hands on who would accept him in your squads?"

Eight captains raise their hands, with the only exception being the portly-looking captain representing the Purple Orcas.

 _"Well, that's expected from a royalty with actual competence."_

 _"I'm more surprised that one of them didn't raise his hand."_

Jericho had eight possible options, and the option that chooses is-

"I'd like to join the Black Bulls."

 _Everyone_ in the audience and the captains went into a state of _shocked silence_.

Everyone except for the burly man in the white tank top, who was currently laughing his ass off.

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?" Everyone cried out.

 _"Is he fucking insane?"_

 _"I know that his family resigned their royal status, but this is just asinine..."_

 _"Then again, his whole family were insane to begin with..."_

 _"Yeah... I could see him fitting in... in fact, I think he'll be alight anywhere..."_

The burly man then jumps down to where Jericho was standing. The two towering figures then see each other eye-to-eye.

"So tell me," The man then blows smoke into his face. "Why is it that you want to join the worst squad of the Clover Kingdom?"

"Because I see potential."

"Potential?" The man then lights another cigarette. "Elaborate."

"I don't believe that the Black Bulls are the worst squad in the Clover Kingdom. In fact, I think they're the most underrated." He then turns toward the audience. "The Black Bulls, unruly as they may be, they've still earned their places in the Magic Knights' Institution. But somehow, they're the most demonetized, and unrightfully so." He then turns back to the captain. "I wish to see on why they're so hated, and if somehow the fears of the majority are confirmed to be true, then I'll make it my duty to pull the squad out of the gutter and into the realm of respect once more."

The man blows smoke into his face once again. "And tell me, kiddo. What do plan to get out of being a Magic Knight?"

"Then I shall tell you." Jericho then strikes a dramatic pose. "I, JERICHO PLATNIA, HAVE A DREAM!" He _loudly_ proclaimed. "AND THAT IS TO BECOME THE CHAMPION OF THE CLOVER KINGDOM, AND DOING THAT, I'LL FORGE POSITIVE RELATIONS WITH THE OTHER THREE KINGDOMS OF THIS CONTINENT, AND AFTER THAT, I'LL SPREAD THE GOOD NAME OF THIS KINGDOM ACROSS THE WHOLE WORLD!"

The man then inhales on his cigarette. "So what you're saying is that you want to be a diplomat."

"Diplomat, scholar, gentleman, and capable Magic Knight to boot." Jericho responds back in a normal tone.

The burly captain then lets out a fit of laughter. "From now on, call me Captain Yami."

"Yes, Captain Yami!" Jericho salutes in the Magic Knight's three finger salute.

"Welcome to the Black Bulls, you crazy fuck." He then turns to Captain Vangence with a shit-eating grin on his face. "You owe me 100,000 yuls now!" Captain Yami then jumps back up to his platform and takes a seat.

"And they said that I couldn't get anyone in..." Captain Yami smiled.

And the selection continues until Juniper is called up.

Only captain Yami and the armored woman representing the Blue Rose Knights raise their hands.

"I'd like to join Blue Rose Knights please."

The female captain nods. "Call me Captain Charlotte."

"Yes ma'am!" Juniper then waves back at Yuno with a glee.

It was now Yuno's turn.

"Would the captains-"

All captains raise their hands before the announcer can finish speaking.

 _"Holy shit, all of them!?"_

 _"Well then again, he's a four-leaf..."_

 _"Yeah, but aren't the Golden Dawn and Silver Eagles like, royalty-exclusive!?"_

 _"Again dude, four-leaf."_

 _"... Good point..."_

Yuno then looks at the headband wrapped around his wrist. Normally, he would join the Golden Dawn for a quick and easy path of becoming the next Wizard King.

But _Asta's_ dreams are now _his_ dreams. And taking the easy way in is a _disservice_ to his memories.

"Please let me join the Black Bulls."

Again, _silence_.

But this time, _no one_ was surprised anymore. After all, they did just saw an _ex-royalty_ join the Black Bulls.

Everyone, _except_ Captain Yami, who was again, laughing his ass off.

He then jumps down from his balcony and looks down at Yuno.

 _"Is he really gonna do that every time a Black Bull recruit shows up at his door?"_

 _"Now I kinda wanna join him just to see that again..."_

"So tell me," Captain Yami blew smoke into his face. "Why is that you want to join the worst squad of Clover Kingdom?"

Yuno then shows the headband wrapped around his wrist.

"Eh? What the hell is that?" Captain Yami asked.

"It's my brother's." Yuno responded in a solemn tone. "I was forced to watch an ex-Magic Knight Bandit mutilate him front of me. And by sheer _miracle_ , I broke out of his chains and forced to _kill him_ before he could do the same to me."

 _"Holy shit..."_

 _"He's already killed a guy?"_

 _"He faced a former Magic Knight and lived?"_

"So I guess the reason you want to join my squad is to make sure that the same doesn't happen to anyone else, correct?" Captain Yami stated.

"You're not wrong sir. It's just that there's a _deeper_ reason behind it." Yuno tries to hold back his tears. "My brother and I shared the same dream."

"And what's that dream?" Yami then lights another cigarette.

"Our dream was to become the next Wizard King." Yuno responded. "And with that dream, I'll be sure that everyone under my watch doesn't die in the gutter ever again."

Yami then blows smoke into his eyes, causing Yuno to reel back. "Quite a lofty dream you've got there." His presence then exudes a _killer's intent_ , causing everyone in the audience along with a few other _captains_ to reel back. **"So what you're saying is that you're willing to brave _this_ kind of shit in order to achieve your dreams, am I right?"**

 **"THAT'S RIGHT!"** Yuno _roared_ out with _conviction_ blazing in his eyes. **"NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES, EVEN IF I HAVE TO CRAWL WITHOUT MY ARMS OR LEGS, EVEN IF I HAVE TO EAT MUD AND STICKS ON MY WAY THERE, I WILL BECOME THE NEXT WIZARD KING!"**

Everyone in the amphitheater remains in shocked silence at Yuno's declaration of his determination.

To them, this kind of speech coming from a _peasant_ should be _blasphemous_. But the fact that he was a four-leaf prevented him from sounding insane.

Captain Yami then lets out another fit of laughter. "I like you."

"Do you mean-"

"Don't regret it, kid." Captain Yami then turns to Captain Vangence and sticks out a middle finger towards him. "You now all owe me double now that I recruited a _royal_ and a _four-leaf_."

Then the selection came to an end for Yuno, with his journey toward being the next Wizard King now starting as a Bull.

 _"Watch me... Asta!"_ Yuno balls his hand into a fist as he looks at the headband around his wrist.

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Question of this chapter; How many JoJo references can you find in this chapter?

But in all seriousness, this chapter was a blast to write.

Yuno joining the Black Bulls in the memory of Asta, and yes, he fought Noelle, but to her credit, she managed to hold off longer than anyone thought.

Salim on ORAed to near-death, in other words: RETIRED.

And Sekke got kicked in the balls because, c'mon.

The lech deserved it.

On what Jericho's voice will be like (for funsies):

Yuki Ono (JPN), Johnny Yong Bosh (ENG)

So, what do you guys think? Leave a review or a comment, for I'd like to know what my audience is thinking.

P.S.: The next chapter for Apocrypha will be delayed to finish my Nerve Damage chapter that's currently in development.


	11. Saga 11: Sympathy for the Devil

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 11: Sympathy For the Devil**

* * *

 **Royal Capital, Magic Knights Entrance Exam Venue, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Evening)**

* * *

Yuno, Juniper, and Jericho meet up with each other at the amphitheater's outer halls.

"So Juniper, you're a Blue Rose now..." Yuno spoke.

"Yep." She remarked. "I'll send you letters to you though."

"He'll be in good hands." Jericho stated.

"C'mon newbie! Don't make us leave you behind!" A female voice called out to Juniper.

"I'll see you two soon!" Juniper then dashes off towards where the voice came from.

"So..." Jericho trailed off. "Shall we make our way to our new lives?"

Yuno shrugs as the two then head to where Captain Yami and the two other Black Bulls members were.

"About damn time you've showed up." Captain Yami blew out a puff of smoke to Yuno's face and Jericho's neck.

"Just saying our final goodbyes to an old friend of his and a new friend of mine." Jericho chimed.

"Whatever." He sighed out. "You two, meet your seniors." Captain Yami introduced.

One was a young man with wavy dirty blond hair with a long olive-green tunic with forest-green boots that reached below his knees.

The other was a man was sharply dressed with a cap with the Black Bulls symbol on the center. His complexion was pale and has thick black mascara around his eyes and a black lipstick on his lips.

"The name is Finral Roulacase!" The dandy-looking man stated. "And next to me is Gordon Agrippa, and I assure you, he only _looks_... unnerving." He trails off for a moment before getting back on track. "Nevertheless, he's a nice guy, I assure you."

"(It's nice to meet you all. I hope we can get along.)" The pale man mumbled.

"Likewise, Mr. Agrippa." Jericho responded while smiling.

"(Please, call me Gordon.)" Gordon smiles back at the tall ex-royalty.

"Why of course, Gordon." Jericho responded.

"WAIT! YOU TWO ARE ACTUALLY COMMUNICATING!?" Finral yelled out in surprise.

"At first it was hard to make out what he was saying, but after focusing for a bit, I managed to make out the last part of his mumbling speech." Jericho responded. "Train your senses hard enough, and you can hear a pin drop from a mile away."

"So you're familiar with _ki_ then?" Captain Yami responded.

"My family only has the most basic fundamentals down. I myself is still trying to improve my overall three-dimensional reactionary time, which is roughly around _0.4 seconds_."

"Um... Captain?" Finral asked. "What's ki?"

"We'll talk about it later." Captain Yami responded. "We're running late, so Finral, can you open a way back home?"

"Eh?" Finral exclaimed. "Can't we use our brooms instead!?"

"Like I said, we're running late." The man stated menacingly. "So shut up and surpass your limits, pretty boy."

Finral sighs in resignation as he then opens a magic portal, revealing a dirt road leading towards somewhere.

"Can you please hurry and walk through already?" Finral spoke in a shaky tone. "I can only hold this portal open for so long, you know."

"Shut up and hold it open." The captain spoke menacingly. "Like I said, it's time to surpass your limits."

Finral groans as the new recruits of the Black Bulls walk through the white portal.

"Wait, where did Noelle go?" Yuno asked.

"She went ahead right after the ceremony was over." Jericho stated. "On which squad that she's accepted in, I think we're going to meet soon."

Yuno smiles slightly. Maybe then, he would be able to apologize to her properly.

Once the group enters through the gate, Yuno and Jericho find themselves standing before a haphazard, yet solid-looking fortress of stone bricks and moss.

Yuno then heads toward the front door, but not before Jericho places his hand onto his shoulder.

"I suggest you to stand back."

"Wait, what do you-"

The front door of the base explodes off of its hinges, revealing the riot taking place in its interior.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU BASTARD!"

"Ha ha! You're gonna have to catch me first!"

The cause of the door's destruction was currently slinging fireballs towards another smaller youth who was currently jumping all over the place with traces of lighting behind his heels.

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT IT!? I CAN'T HEAR MY LITTLE ANGEL MARIE'S VOICE OVER YOUR BARBARIC YAPPING!" Another voice roared out from the corner of the room, revealing to be a dark-lavender-haired man with a floating mirror showing a little girl on it.

Yuno sweeps the room, eyeing the following:

A barely-dressed woman was lying on a red velvet couch with a heavy blush on her face and an empty bottle slipping off of her fingers. A squat-looking girl was eating enough food to feed the entirety of Hage Village for about a _year_ , and continues to eat more as sheep with fluff-topped hats serve more food onto the table. And to top it all off, a large and rotund man was standing there, huffing out steam with every breath that the giant took.

"Before you ask, no, this kind of crap only happens on every time when Luck bugs off Magna over _anything_... _which is once every week_." Finral in an exasperated tone.

Yuno enters through the broken down door, without fear in his eyes.

"Kid's got balls." Captain Yami muttered. He then huffs out a stream of smoke. "With that said however..." He then heads towards one of the walls in the room, balling his bulky right hand into a fist emitting a dark energy.

"EVERYONE CUT THE CRAP AND STOP BREAKING EVERYTHING IN HERE!" Captain Yami then drives his [Dark Magic] reinforced fist into the brick wall behind him.

Literally everyone in the room stops what they were doing and line up in front of the captain on their knees.

"... Anyone going to point out that he's the one causing the most damage here?" Jericho asked his senior Gordon.

"(No need. This place fixes itself. _Literally_.)" The young man mumbled.

Jericho then notices the pebbles of the broken-down brick walls slowly putting themselves back together.

"Guess I do learn something new everyday..." Jericho then smiles at Gordon while shrugging.

"WELCOME BACK, CAPTAIN YAMI!" All of the kneeling members said in unison.

"Oi, Captain Yami! Did anyone get too uppity with ya today!?" The young man with the [Fire Magic] spoke out. "If so, THEN I'LL KILL THEIR ASSES!"

"Hey Captain! Hey Captain! Hey Captain!" The youth with the [Lightning Magic] prodded the man. "Can you spar with me? C'mon, just one round! Just one round!"

"Forget them, Captain." The drunk woman slumped over the Captain's shoulder. "Come have a round or two with me, would you?" She spoke in a flirtatious tone.

"Hey Captain!" The short woman approached the Captain. "Please have a bite! I made it myself!" She prods him with a freshly-baked cupcake.

"Captain?" The man with the mirror approached. "Can I go back to seeing my sister now?" The man's nose was dripping blood out of his nostrils at _increasingly dangerous volumes_. "I'm already getting the withdrawals."

The giant just huffs out another stream of steam.

Yuno and Jericho look at each other with befuddled looks on their faces.

"Glad to see that you're all doing okay." The Captain adopts a jovial tone before shifting back to his serious tone. **"Now sit."**

"Sorry." All of the members crowding around him disperse and kneel themselves before Captain Yami in a perfect row.

"Much better." Captain Yami then huffs out another puff of smoke. "Finral, the introduction."

"Oh, right." Finral then presents the two new members to the group. "Alright. You two can start."

"Very well." Jericho speaks first. "My name is Jericho Platnia, 17 years old, and a _former royalty_ with my whole family now residing in a lone observatory in the Forbidden Realm for _research purposes_."

"And I'm Yuno, 15 years old, hailing from Hage Village, and a four-leaf." He then presents his four-leaf grimoire to the group.

"An ex-royalty and a four-leaf from the boonies? Man, we have quite a haul this year..." The [Fire Magic] user muttered.

"Alright, shitstains." The Captain spoke. "Introduce yourselves to the newbies. And yes, that includes you two as well."

Finral slumps in disappointment.

"Then allow me to take the lead." The young man with the [Fire Magic] boldly stated. "The name's Magna Swing, and I'm Captain Yami's #2 man among men!"

"So, Vice-Captain?" Jericho asked.

"You could say that." Magna boasted.

"Forget him." The [Lightning Magic] user pushed him aside. "My name's Luck Voltia, but who cares!?" Luck then eagerly approaches the two new recruits. "So tell me, how strong is an ex-royalty and a four-leaf?"

"Can we tell you at a later date?" Yuno asked. "It's already getting late."

"Aww..." Luck pouted. "Fine, I'll wait." He then looks back with a slightly crazed look. **"You better, alright?"**

Jericho gives him the "OK" sign with his right hand. Yuno blinks in confusion.

"Alright, my turn." The barely dressed woman approaches the two youths. "My name is Vanessa Enoteca, and I'm glad to see new faces around here." She giggles slightly. "How about a welcoming drink, you two?" Vanessa offered the two cups of dark red liquid.

"I'm underage." Yuno flatly speaks.

"And I only drink wine in seldom." Jericho speaks while trying not to eye anything _inappropriate_.

"Hey." The man with the mirror approached the two newbies, holding out a picture of a little girl. "Look at it. This is my little sister Marie, and she is _my_ angel." His tone then drops a few decibels below menacing.

 **"Lay even a finger on even her single strand of hair, and I'll flay your asses alive. Got it?"**

"Please, good sir. At least tell us your name." Jericho cut in.

 **"Only if you promise to put my sister's life before yours."** The man responded.

The two nod briskly.

"I'm Gauche Adlai, and you two better keep your ends of the bargain." Gauche answered. "Otherwise..." He then draws a line through his neck with his thumb.

 **"You're both ending up on my shitlist."**

"Hey Gauche, that was a little mean, dontcha think?" The petite lady chided. "Ignore him, he means well." She then pulls out another cupcake from her satchel. "My name is Charmy Pappitson, and I pride myself being Clover Kingdom's greatest gourmet!" Charmy then extends her cupcake towards the two. "Want a bite?"

Jericho takes one half of the cupcake as Yuno takes the other half.

"Well, how is it?" She interjected.

"It's good." Yuno spoke while eating.

Jericho then swallows his food before speaking. "Did you make this yourself?" He asked.

"Heheheh." She chuckled. "I had a little help." She gestures to the sheep with the white hats.

The giant man breathes out another stream of steam.

"That's Grey." Finral spoke out. "He's not much of a talker and no one knows who he really is, but he's wouldn't hurt a fly."

Gordon then steps forward. "(And as you've know already, my name is Gordon Agrippa. It's a pleasure to work with you two from now on.)"

"Likewise." Jericho responded.

Yuno nods.

"Wait, you can hear what he's saying?" Magna spoke out.

Finral and Captain Yami both nod.

The introduction goes as planned.

"And as you've already known, my name is Finral Roulacase, and just as you know, I'm a ladies man." He boasted.

"Umm... 'A' for effort?" Jericho questioned his supposed Casanova status.

"THANK YOU!" The whole Black Bulls group sans Finral cried out.

"EHH!? WHAT'S THERE TO DOUBT ABOUT ME!?"

"You're better off not asking." Captain Yami addressed. "So, _Vice-Captain Magna_ , the robes?"

"Heh. LEAVE EM TO ME, CAPTAIN!" He then pulls out the Black Bulls signature robe. "LISTEN UP, NEWBIES! YOU WANT THESE ROBES SO BAD!? WELL I'VE GOT NEWS KIDDIES! YOU AIN'T GETTING EM FOR FREE!"

"So what's the catch?" Yuno asked.

"Heh, glad ya asked." Magna huffed. "WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN INITIATION TO SEE IF YOU'RE WORTHY OF THE HONOR AND PRIDE OF BEING A BLACK BULL MEMBER!"

"This'll be fun." Jericho quipped.

Everyone in the room then heads outside, where this supposed initiation was being held.

"Oh boy..."

"He's at it again..."

"I wonder which of the two is stronger."

"I'm too sober for this kind of crap happening this late..."

The two recruits then stand before Magna.

"First, we're going to see how much guts and stamina you two have!" He barked out. "I want 5,000 push-ups, 5,000 sit-ups, and lift these giant boulders next to me for a minute straight! Oh, and you can use magic to help you out."

"No need." Both Yuno and Jericho rip their tops off in unison, revealing two marble-sculpted pecs and muscles glistening in the moonlight above them.

The two then do what the Vice Captain ordered them without issue.

The rest of the Black Bull members watched in awe.

"How are they even..."

"Wait, don't the Crimson Lion Kings have this kind of regiment?"

"Nah, I've heard it's even more brutal."

The two then toss the boulders off of their shoulders, with sweat sparkling from their forms.

"ALRIGHT!" The Vice Captain barked out. "I SEE THAT YOU TWO AREN'T DEAD YET!"

"What else do you got?" Jericho panted out.

"NOW YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK THOSE ROCKS THAT YOU JUST CARRIED!" Magna barked out. "USE WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY TO BREAK EM!"

"Then allow me to start." Jericho then takes a deep breath as he approaches the rock.

He then places his the tip of his fingers onto the rock, right before suddenly coiling his fingers into a fist onto the rock's surface.

He then turns and walks away from the rock.

"OI! YOU DIDN'T BREAK IT-"

Just before Magna could finish his sentence, the rock behind Jericho _shatters_.

"Wha- HOW!?" Magna cried out.

"Ki." Jericho responded. "I concentrated it into my hand and upon contact, I released all of it onto the rock, causing an influx of energy to flow inward, causing an imbalance within its natural structure, hence, the explosion."

"Translate, egghead." Captain Yami spoke out plainly.

"I think that topic is better off said later by you, Captain." Jericho retorted. "After all, your knowledge in Ki is much more expansive than my whole family's."

"You got me there." He then puffs out another smoke.

"ALRIGHT!" Magna points his finger towards Yuno. "YOU'RE NEXT!"

Yuno then opens his four-leaf, coiling his open hand with wind.

"Oh, so he's using magic instead."

"At least this'll be a bit easier to grasp..."

Yuno then swings his arm downward, causing a breeze to go through the rock.

The rock then splits _cleanly_ in half.

"Whoa..."

"Now I can't decide which is stronger..."

"To hell with that! I want a 2v1 next time we see each other!"

"GOOD JOB, YOU SHITSTAINS!" Magna barked out. "BUT IT AIN'T OVER YET!" He then paces back from the two as he opens his grimoire. "YOUR LAST TEST IS TO SEE IF YOU CAN STOP MY [Fire Magic]!"

"And I supposed that the _'any means necessary rule'_ applies her as well? "

The Vice Captain nods.

"Mind if I go first, Yuno?" Jericho asks.

"No. I'm going next." Yuno then walks ahead of Jericho.

Yuno then opens his grimoire, readying himself for what's to come to him.

"HERE I COME, NEWBIE!" A fireball is formed in Magna's hands. "[Fire Magic: Explosive Fireball]! DIE!" The fireball is then flung towards Yuno at blistering speeds.

Yuno, in the moment once again, just like with that time with the charging boar, the world slows around him to a crawl.

In that window of time, Yuno casts [Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble- Separator] around the fireball speeding towards him. He then clenches his hand, causing the bubble around the fireball to close into it, snuffing the fire out completely.

The world goes back to normal once again.

"GOOD JOB, NEWBIE!" The Vice-Captain barked. "YOU PASSED!" He then firmly pats Yuno on the back.

"If I may?" Jericho cut in.

"Wait right there." Magna then escorts Yuno out of the ring and heads back to where Jericho was standing before him. "ALRIGHT! YOU READY!?"

Jericho stretches his sculpted arms forward before opening his grimoire. "[Platinum Creation Magic: Stardust Knuckles]." Platinum gauntlets are formed around his hands and arms. "Come at me with all you've got, Vice Captain."

Magna winds up a throw with the fireball in his hands. "[Fire Magic: Explosive Fireball]! DIE!" The fireball bolts toward the ex-royal.

Just before the fireball can claim its victim, Jericho claps onto the fireball, causing a sudden flash of light before smoke coming out between his metal hands.

"Phew..." Jericho breathed out in relief. "Missed for even a millisecond, I would've burned my face off..."

"WAIT, HOW!?" Magna yelled out.

"I copied Yuno's technique." Jericho answered. "Fire, magic or not, needs air in order to keep burning."

"So what you just did was that you put out my fireball by clapping onto it?" Magna asked. "Like how I used to put out candlelight with my licked fingers?"

"Fundamentally speaking, yes. They both follow the same principal."

"WELL, DOESN'T MATTER!" Magna shouted. "BECAUSE YOU TWO PASSED!" He then tosses the two of them their robes along with their whipped-off tops.

The two of them put on their clothes and their robes, now cementing themselves as official Magic Knights.

 _"I did it Asta."_ Yuno thought. _"I'm one step closer to fulfilling our dreams."_

Meanwhile, Noelle, unknown to the recruits, looks down from the building's tower.

 _"Hmph, never thought that those two, out of all people, would join the Black Bulls."_ The girl then turn away from the view and heads back to her quarters.

* * *

 **Demon's Hideout, Clover Kingdom (Midnight)**

* * *

The Demons after their failed operation were scurrying like rats on a sinking ship.

They were spreading out their acquired loot, fixing their scrap weapon back to a serviceable state, and the rest were outside with makeshift shovels, doing _something_ , apparently.

Astaroth meanwhile, was doing push-ups, while handstanding, with Claudius squatting on the flats of his feet, doing squats with a giant rock on held behind his back.

The two figures on each other were at unparalleled coordination with each other's movements.

"9,989... 9,990... 9,991... 9,992..." The two Fallen Angels were counting in unison up to 10,000.

"MILORD!" One on the Fallen Angels came sprinting in. Astaroth looks up to see a feminine-looking Fallen Angel coming in from the entrance.

"What is it, Belial?" Claudius then jumps off from the Prince's feet and lands on the ground.

"I BRING TERRIBLE NEWS!" She cried out. "WE'VE SPOTTED SOMETHING EXTREMELY DIRE."

"You mean an _intruder_?" The tactician calmly replied.

"NOT JUST ANY INTRUDER SIR." She heaved out.

"It's an _elf_."

Claudius's facade of calm shatters, revealing an emotional equivalent of a thundercloud that's about to rain down lightning that would even make _God_ piss its undergarments.

 **"Bring. The. Elf. To. Me."**

Belial falls to her rump as she _scrambles_ away from the _enraged_ Fallen Angel.

Even _Astaroth_ was taken back how furious Claudius was right now.

Then came down the _lightning_.

 **"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"**

The female Fallen Angel flutters with her wings, with panic in her every flap from her molting wings.

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Guess who's back?

Here we are, Yuno and one of my OCs making it into the Black Bulls, and both of them doing what Asta would do in canon, save for the amount of exertion.

Because no matter how much the two train, Yuno will never be Asta, but sure as hell he can try.

Because not giving is not only Asta's magic.

It's everyone's.

Shame that the majority in the canon setting doesn't recognize this as a good thing.

Onto the Demons, and hoo boy...

They might wanna make some _butterfly nets_ , because a _hurricane_ is coming.

(See if you get that reference and on what it means.)

Also, for funsies, Belial's Voice Actor (hypothetically, as usual):

Kaede Hondo (JPN), Amanda Lee (ENG)

Also, important announcement;

I now have a set drafting schedule where I'll write one chapter for each of my ongoing fanfics because f*cking reasons.

Also, I rather not leave one fic hanging dry for too long.

So, what do you guys think of this chapter?

What's your opinion on Yuno joining the Black Bulls in order for him to properly inherit Asta's will, instead of joining the Golden Dawn for a quick and easy route?

And how many _butterflies_ will there be to catch in the AU?

(And on a side note: who here actually believes in the theory that "Licht/Patry is the one who brought the rain of light onto his own village on that fateful day, courtesy (unwittingly) of Julius Novachrono"?)

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audiences are **thinking.**


	12. Saga 12: Believer

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 12: Believer**

* * *

 **Demon's Hideout, Clover Kingdom (Midnight)**

* * *

Claudius, Astaroth, and Belial _bolt_ toward where the opening with the withered tree stood below the moonlight coming from the crevice above.

In front of them, was a youth with reddish-dark brown skin, white hair, amber eyes, and an "X" scar in his left cheek, surrounded by numerous other Fallen Angels that were restraining him.

Weren't for the fact that he had pointed ears on the sides of his head, the youth would've been assumed as just a regular human kid.

The surrounding Demons make way for the three.

"Umm, Belial?" Claudius asked.

"Yes?" She chirped out.

"Is he really an elf?"

"Well, last time I checked, they were supposed to have pointed ears and white hair, right?" Belial retorted.

"True, but he's dark-skinned, and there's not a trace of mana coming from him." Claudius replied.

"Wait Claudius, you can sense mana?" Astaroth asked.

"We'll get to that later." Claudius then looks at the youth. "So, tell us. What the actual fuck are you?"

"My name is Leif." The boy answered. "And what about you?"

"I am Claudius Nero Bael." The Fallen Angel replied. "One of the devout vassals of the great Demon Prince of War, Astaroth." He then gestures his hands toward the ash-grey haired Fallen Angel.

"Sup." Astaroth waved. "So how did you end up here?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Leif replied. "I was just out foraging for supplies for my _village_ until I saw people with black wings from the distance, doing the same thing as me." He scoffed.

"Also those feathered fuck dragged me here." Leif then points towards the Fallen Angels behind him.

"Wait wait wait, _village_?" Claudius exclaimed. "But I thought the elves went _extinct_."

"That's what the humans assumed after their little _genocide_." Leif scoffed. "But I'm not telling you where they are, only the fact that we're still alive and ready to kill and _eat_ those fucks at a moment's notice."

"... Can you all watch him for a moment while me and the Prince discuss a few things in private?" Claudius asks the Demon guards.

They nod in unison.

"And Belial?" The female Fallen Angel turns her head towards him. "Give the poor kid something to eat and drink."

"R-R-R-Right away!" She then stumbles toward one of the caves in the cavern walls.

As the female Fallen Angel get a pouch of water and boar meat, Claudius guides Astaroth to their training grounds.

"Something's up, milord." Claudius whispered in a panicked tone. "As far as I can recall, the rain of light wiped out the entire elf race, and yet, here we are, seeing one before our eyes."

"Well, why don't you ask him yourself?" Astaroth stated.

"I would, but as you just saw, cooperation will be difficult."

"I can help you with that." A voice behind them stated. "You could've told me sooner."

Behind the two was the dark-skinned elf boy, _Leif_.

"HOW!?" The two yelled out.

"Eh, brambles were more trickier to get out of." The boy stated. "So I take it that you're not humans, then?"

Both Claudius and Astaroth was given a pause.

 _"Milord, we gotta wing it."_

Astaroth nods.

"So, again, tell us, what are you, exactly?" Claudius asked nervously.

"The name's Leif, and I'm a _dark elf_." The boy stated in a dark tone.

"Wait a minute, _dark elf_?" The two said in a _confused_ tone.

"So what's your deal, then?" The dark elf asked.

The two demons look at each other awkwardly, not sure what to say to this enigmatic kid.

 _"Should we tell him, milord?"_ Claudius whispered.

 _"It's better to breed trust then suspicion."_ Astaroth suggested.

"Very well." Claudius then turns back to Leif. "As you can see from our wings, we are Demons. Fallen Angels, to be exact."

"Oh, so the whole _'demon'_ shtick isn't just some moniker."

"Wait, why aren't you surprised by all this?" Astaroth asked.

"The village elder did say that _'as long it's not a human, then it's an ally'_." Leif claimed. "If you're not humans, then that means I have no reason to be hostile towards you."

The two blink.

"Milord."

"Yeah?"

"Methinks that we should hear him out."

Astaroth nods.

Belial then scrambles into the cave's entrance with a pouch of water and a slab of boar meat around her arms. "Sorry if I'm late!" The female Fallen Angel cries out.

"No need, as long as you're here." Claudius reassured as she then set down the morsel in front of the dark elf. Among the pile, _a black apple with crossed-out eyes and a sewn-shut mouth_ rolls out.

In that instant, Claudius snatches the apple before Leif's eyes, right before giving Belial the _stink-eye_.

The Fallen Angel flies out in _panic_.

"I'll talk to her later..." Claudius mumbles as the boy gnaws on the slab of meat. "So, tell us Leif. What is the purpose of the dark elves?"

Leif bites out a chunk of the slab before swallowing it whole. "Let me explain." The boy then chugs on a pouch of water to wash down his morsel. "Ever since the day that the humans invaded the elf village after someone killed the elf groom and a human bride, those who managed to escape the onslaught found themselves without a home, and a _whole race_ out to kill us for our magic."

The two Fallen Angels sit down on the stone floor in front of Leif, ready to listen.

For Claudius, his brain was already in _buzz_ trying to make heads and tails of this historical confusion.

"There were around twenty survivors of the elf village massacre, and day by day, they were on the run from the humans hunting us down. But, by some sheer miracle, quick feet, and sharp wit, the elves survived for a _whole generation_ , and during our march, they found themselves in a whole new world."

"A world where humans used magic and the elves were considered extinct." Leif spat out like venom. "But instead of plotting revenge and let their survival be in vain, the elves retreated to the most secluded place in this content."

"And that is?" Astaroth asked.

"The _Gallows Forest_." Leif answered. "Named after the place where criminal were left to hang, this forest of death's treetops and roots became our new home. Since then, the elves continued to use magic in order to have our old lives back, until one elf stepped up, and changed everything forever."

"And pray tell, who is it?" Claudius mused.

Leif smiles slightly. " _Vidar the Vengeful_." He spoke in an admiring tone. "He was the one to convince the elves that the whole reason why they lost to humanity was because of their reliance on magic."

Astaroth then starts to get a feeling of _Déjà vu_.

"Vidar claimed that the elves became too complacent with their own magic that they became too unprepared for the outside world. Naturally, some elves were not too happy about abandoning their magic, but Vidar then makes a counterpoint."

"And that being?"

"The fact that now the humans now become too reliant on magic, as such, the elves's weakness are now the human's. And from that day forward, the elves slowly began to abandon their magical practices and turn toward conventional weapons and tools that the humans once used." Leif then smiles again. "Eventually, we found veins of iron deep underneath the tree roots, letting us transition from stone to iron."

"Hold on, how did the humans did not catch you?" Claudius asked. "Surely if there was smoke, they would've saw that."

"They did, and do you want to know where their feet ended up?" Leif grinned.

"... Something tells me that the Gallows Forest is no ordinary forest." Claudius claims.

"The _'forest'_ was a _red herring_. About 70% of our home is _swamp_." Leif's smile then becomes borderline _evil-looking_. "By the time the human mages were shoulder-deep in bog, we wrapped nooses around their necks, took their grimoires, cut their hands off, and we left them to _hang_." He chuckled out. "After they were good and dead, their flesh became our food, their organs became fertilizer for the fruit trees that we lived in, their bones became arrowheads or blades, their clothes became ours, and everything else was dumped into the bog or burnt to ash."

"So you done the same as us." Claudius stated. "Wait, one question."

"I'm listening." The boy stated.

"How did your skin end up like that?" He points to Leif's _reddish-dark brown skin_.

"Oh, you mean how we went from pale-white to roasted-wood?" Leif remarked. "Have you ever heard of the Port Wine Curse?"

The two look at each other awkwardly.

"Here's the thing, the so-called cursed allows a person to hide their mana signature from wherever the curse is placed onto you, as indicated by the differing skin coloration." He stated. "Our founder discovered where the curse was coming from, that being the bloodshrooms found in the forest that we live in. The curse can be applied through the spores contacting our skins. And over the generations, the curse became _hereditary_ , and here we are."

"Hmm, doesn't sound too bad, when you put it that way." Astaroth stated. "But wait, why is it called a 'curse' if it's so _useful_?"

"Simple." Leif replied. " _Vanity_ , in _two_ different ways."

"Whoa." Astaroth exclaimed. "That bad?"

"Even I'm surprised to hear such thing." Claudius gasped. "So Leif, _how bad_?"

"Did you know that they're more concerned of their looks over everything else?" Leif stated. "Apparently, reddish-dark brown skin isn't a popular trend."

The two stand in awkward silence.

"Also, they _want_ people to notice that their magic is bigger than the others."

"Milord." Claudius spoke to Astaroth. "When the humans in the Clover Kingdom die at our hands, I'm not going to even acknowledge their existence."

"Join the club..." Astaroth muttered. "So, with that all out of the way, I gotta ask; what's your guys's endgoal?"

"Simple." Leif states. "Fulfill our founder Vidar's vision; erase all magic from the face of this world, so that no one may be afflicted by our weakness."

The two Fallen Angels look at each other, but now with _opportunity_ glinting in their eyes.

"Milord?"

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Astaroth responds.

"Better." Claudius smiles before turning to Leif. "Leif, you've stated that _'as long isn't human, it's an ally'_ , correct?"

"Meaning?" Leif retorted.

Claudius smiles.

"It seems that we both share a _similar_ goal."

"And what do you mean by that?" Leif retorts.

"Exactly what I said."

Leif smiles back in response.

"I think we'll be good friends from now on." The boy smiles. "I'll tell the others... _that help is on the way_." Leif then heads out of the cave but then _stops_ in his tracks upon seeing daylight rising from the crevice above.

"You mind if I stay here until dark? I rather travel when light is not beating over my head and humans discovering my race's existence, if possible."

Astaroth nods.

* * *

 **Black Bulls Base, Clover Kingdom (Morning)**

* * *

First daylight of Yuno in the Black Bulls base.

He stretches out of his bed, looks at the half-drafted letter on the desk next to where he's standing, and the Black Bulls robe hanging by the chair.

He dresses up into his Magic Knight attire, and heads out of his room, where he meets Jericho standing in front of his door.

"Good morning Yuno." Jericho greeted.

"Morning." Yuno stated.

"MORNIN' YOU FUCKS!" Yuno turns his head towards his left, seeing his Vice-Captain Magna standing before them. "I hope that you two slept like babies last night! Because since you two are newbies, you're going have to do the chores around the whole base before your first mission as Magic Knights! But! In turn, I, the great Magna Swing, will show you around the whole base!"

"One question." Yuno raises his hand. "Was that pillar over there ever there in the first place?"

"Peh, you'll get used to it." Magna stated. "The whole base changes its interior every day."

"It's true." Jericho pointed out. "Gordon even told me that the whole base _literally_ fixes itself."

"Huh." Yuno emotes. "So that's why the base doesn't feel drafty despite looking so run-down."

"ALRIGHT!" Magna cuts in. "With that all cleared up, let's start the tour already! Follow me, maggots!"

The two then follow the Vice-Captain around the whole base.

"This is the bathhouse!" He shows the communal hot springs with Gordon in it.

"Morning Gordon." Jericho greets the man in the hot water.

The man waves back.

"Still don't know how you two are even communicating..." Magna muttered. "Whatever, let's move on."

The three then head out and towards a hallway laced with tripwires.

"Towards this way is the female residence." Magna stated.

"Are those... _wires_?" Yuno questioned.

"Touch one, and it'll defiantly kill you _instantly_." Magna spoke out in a nonchalant tone.

"Even if these traps are meant to keep out perverts, I sort of find these rather... _excessive_." Jericho stated.

"Don't care, MOVING ON!" The vice captain then leads the two towards a room with a row of stalls.

"These are the communal toilets!" Magna stated as he opened one of the stall doors, revealing _Captain Yami_ doing his business.

 **"Get out."**

"YES SIR! AND SORRY ABOUT THAT SIR!" Magna then slams the door shut then pushes the two recruits out of the room.

Then the three heads toward the basement, looking upon a giant cage full of _monstrous-looking_ animals.

"THIS IS THE BEAST ROOM!" Magna shouts over the beasts's collective roars. "CAPTAIN YAMI LIKES TO COLLECT ALL SORTS OF DANGEROUS BEASTS IN PLACES THAT HE GOES ON HIS MISSIONS!"

"ARE YOU SURE THE CAPTAIN'S HOBBY IS EVEN ETHICAL!?" Jericho cried out.

"ARE YOU QUESTIONING CAPTAIN YAMI'S CHOICE OF LEISURE!?" Magna roared over the beasts's braying. "AND BESIDES, ANY OF THESE GO FREE, IT'LL TEAR UP THE ENTIRE KINGDOM IN A WEEK!"

Yuno just stands there, covering his ears with his hands.

Magna then hands Yuno a gigantic slab of meat.

"ALRIGHT NEWBIE!" Magna shouted. "YOUR FIRST CHORE IS TO FEED THESE ANIMALS IN THE CAGE!"

Yuno then casts [Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble] around the slab of meat, floating the meat into the cage.

The animals, upon seeing the meat on the ground, go into a _feeding frenzy_.

"Tch. You're good..." Magna mutters.

"You we're trying to get him mauled?" Jericho asked.

"Misery builds character." Magna justified. "Plus, I'm not the only one who saw that big-ass claw mark gashed across his chest."

The three then heads back upstairs and into a room where there were piles of books towering before them.

"This is the library." Magna stated in a softer tone. "You'll find all sorts of old books that the Clover Kingdom no longer prints out. But don't expect to find any new books here."

"I'm okay with this." Jericho states. "It's a wonderful thing that Captain Yami has the appreciation for the classics."

"Nah, the books came with the whole base." Magna stated.

The three then heads toward a small room filled with all sorts of _inhumane-looking_ equipment and devices.

"This is the playroom." Magna plainly stated.

"Don't you mean the 'torture room'?" Yuno stated.

"It's best not to ask Yuno." Jericho cut in. "Just assume that those were the previous owner's own."

The three then tour around the rest of the base, from the living room, where they first met the Black Bulls, the cafeteria, where Charmy was eating a pile of food like if there was no tomorrow, and eventually, the balcony, where the three run into Noelle Silva.

"Oh, so that's where you were." Magna spoke to the royal.

"Who gave you permission to speak to me, you damn peasant?" Noelle spat out.

"OI!" Magna shouted. "I'M VICE-CAPTAIN!"

"Of the worst Magic Knight Squad in the whole Clover Kingdom." She cut in. Noelle then turns her attention towards Yuno and Jericho. "As for you!" She points towards Jericho. "Why did you join this squad when you could've joined the other, better Magic Knight Squads!?"

"I dunno, are you speaking that question out of your very heart, or are you speaking out of fear of your own family, especially your older siblings?" Jericho asked Noelle.

Noelle then starts to tremble as she then hastily opens her grimoire and fires out a blast of water meant for Jericho, but the shot curves toward _Magna's_ direction.

The ball of water explodes upon hitting Magna.

"OI! WHAT THE HELL'S THAT FOR, YA BITCH!?"

"And as for you!" She then ignores Magna in favor of Yuno. "You've defeated me at my very best, so why didn't you use that opportunity join a squad like the _Golden Dawn_!?" She then eyes toward a black sash wrapped around Yuno's right wrist. "And when are you going to get rid of that mangy rag-"

Yuno then grabs her by the collar and slams her towards a nearby wall.

 **"Don't talk shit about my brother, you bitch."**

"Wha-What?" She whimpered out.

 **"I SAID DON'T SPEAK OF MY BROTHER LIKE YOU EVEN KNEW HIM, YOU BITCH!"** Yuno _roars_ out.

Noelle's eyes then start _tearing_ up out of fear. To her, Nozel was _benevolent_ compared to this _four-leaf's_ wrath.

"YUNO STAND DOWN! SHE'S NOT WORTH IT!" Jericho tries drags Yuno away from Noelle, but the youth refuses to budge.

 **"I'm letting you off easy right now."** Yuno spoke in a low, threatening tone. **"But cross that line one more time, and I'm throwing you in that cage where Captain Yami keeps all sorts of monsters that he collected throughout the years, and hey who knows, that might be the _only_ chore you might have to do around your time here."**

 **"YUNO!"** Jericho roars out.

From Jericho's intervention, Yuno snaps out of his berserk state.

Yuno then sees what in front of him, and all he sees is that Noelle was in his hands, pinned against the wall, and she herself on the verge of _tears_.

"Oh God, what have I done?" Yuno uttered out.

"Something that you need to work on." A gruff voice called out.

Yuno looks behind him, and sees _Captain Yami_ standing behind him. And upon seeing him, Yuno lets go of Noelle.

"Captain Yami..." All Black Bulls in the balcony speak out.

"I take my eyes off the new recruits to take my morning crap, but here you are, causing melodrama on your first day." Captain Yami then blows a cloud of smoke onto Yuno's face. "Look Yuno, I know that the pain of loss is the reason why you joined the Magic Knights, but let me give you a word of advice;" The Captain then blows another puff of smoke onto Yuno's face.

"Just because you've seen death doesn't mean you get to play as one."

Upon hearing that, Yuno falls to his knees in _shame_.

"So get off your damn cross and use that as a bridge to move on." Captain Yami states bluntly. "But don't rush it, or else you'll fall off into something way _worse_ than death."

"What could be worse than death?" Noelle asks while thinking of the reason of her _mother's death_.

Captain Yami then exhales out a huff of smoke out into the open air.

" _Despair_."

The whole group goes silent.

"I'm sorry." Noelle spoke out. "I... I stepped out of line."

"No." Yuno replied. "I shouldn't have lashed out on you like that."

"Alright you two. Cut the crap before it gets out of hand." Captain Yami cuts in. He then grabs Yuno's right wrist and Noelle's left wrist and puts them together. "Just shake your hands on it and call it lesson learned, got it?"

The two then awkwardly shake each other's hands.

 **"But should this kind of crap happens to either of you again..."**

The two then look at Captain Yami in all of his menacing glory.

Yuno is slightly off-put by his aura resembling _Death_ itself.

Noelle meanwhile, was trying _not_ to piss herself right now.

 **"... You're both cleaning the toilets for _six months straight_ , and in those six months, I'll convince our little gourmet to serve only high-carbs meals to the rest of the Black Bulls in that time period, got it?"**

"Y-Y-Yes sir..." Both Yuno and Noelle _stammer_ out.

"Good." Captain Yami's presence goes back to normal, _for the most part_. "Now if you excuse me, I'm gonna go to town and gamble. Vice-Captain, ya comin'?"

"YES SIR!" Magna salutes enthusiastically.

"Then hurry up." Captain Yami replied. "I've got over _one-million_ yuls to burn from my bet with the other captains, and I plan to earn more."

The two then head out the front door, laughing their asses off.

"You know, Yuno..." Jericho cut in. "I was going to stop them from doing such thing, but after seeing well... everything, methinks it's for the best to leave them be."

"Are you sure?" Yuno stated.

Jericho just nods as a response.

"I'm too tired for this crap..." Noelle uttered. "I'm going back to bed until the next daylight comes..."

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's notes:** a few things have occurred in the past days.

I've completely overhauled my very first fanfic, Nerve Damage: Season 2, and for the most part, it may have to do with the fact that while writing this fanfic, I've finally developed my signature writing style.

The overhauled fic will be posted on the New Year's, so check it soon.

And also, went on a vacation to the mountain cabin, saw snow, had a white Christmas, and it was spectacular.

So onto the recap:

First Butterfly: Elves subsequently survived the genocide and now evolved/mutated into Dark Elves from the hereditary version of William Vangence's Port Wine Curse, and have completely forsaken magic.

Claudius is freaking out/Deku-processing on what the hell is going on with the existence of the Dark Elves.

The Fallen Angels now found themselves potential allies within the Dark Elves, due to them sharing a similar goal.

Yuno and Jericho go through their very first day as Black Bulls, and surprisingly, Noelle's insensitivity triggers Yuno.

From said trigger, Yuno loses himself to his own, newfound weakness of being burdened by Asta's death.

Captain Yami will now be his new mentor... right after he comes back from gambling and individually lose all of his hard-earned money due to his foolhardiness.

Some things change, some things never change, but hey,

... that's life.

Also, _Bae-lial_ (I am _not_ even remotely sorry), is still acting an intern spilling coffee over her superiors.

Also, possible voices for my OCs, because reasons.

Leif: Yuko Sanpei (JPN), Stephanie Young (ENG)

Vidar: Yuji Ueda (JPN), Chris Burnett (ENG)

...

So, what do you readers think about this chapter?

Leave a review or a comment, for I like to know what my readers are thinking.

Also, early happy 2019, folks.


	13. Saga 13: Welcome to the Black Parade

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 13: Welcome to the Black Parade**

* * *

 **Black Bulls Base, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

After the meltdown between new recruits, Yuno, Jericho, and Noelle each went about their own businesses.

Yuno was outside, training his magic, mind, and body, _relentlessly_.

Jericho was in the library, seeking _solace_ within the pages inscribed of ancient text.

And Noelle locked herself in her own room, _crying_ underneath her sheets.

Feelings of despair, weakness, and self-reflection, permeated the three young minds.

For Yuno, it was his _sanity_.

For Jericho, it was his _ignorance_.

For Noelle, it was her _acceptance_.

* * *

 **Noelle's Quarters, Black Bulls Base Interior (Afternoon)**

* * *

A knocking sound was heard from the door. Then a voice was heard.

"Noelle?" The voice then knocks on the door once again. "Can you let me in? I need to talk to you about a few things."

"GO AWAY!" Noelle then throws her pillow to the door.

The door just clicks open on its own, revealing Vanessa, now _sober_ and with her clothes on, carrying a tray of food with a glass of juice.

"I thought I locked the door..." Noelle mumbled.

"[Thread Magic]." She plainly stated while pink magical threads float around her. "Lost my keys to my own room a few times whenever I got wasted. Got good at lockpicking over the past few years thanks to that."

The silver-haired girl just remains silent, _dumbstruck_.

"Mind if I sit next to you?" Vanessa asks Noelle.

"I don't care anymore. Do what you want." She droned.

Vanessa then sets down the tray of food onto Noelle's desk, with herself sitting next to Noelle on her bed.

The two then sit on the bed awkwardly.

"What do you want?" Noelle asked in a hostile tone. "If you're going to tell me that I've messed up, then you can go-"

"I'm not leaving." Vanessa sternly replied. "I'm not leaving me until you tell me about _you_."

Noelle then freezes upon hearing that.

"I'm nothing more then a failure tha-"

Her mouth is then pressed against by Vanessa's index finger.

"No." She replied. "No you're not."

"Th-Then why?" Noelle sniffles out. "Why can't I control my magic? Why is a peasant blessed with a four-leaf and and an ex-royal has to be stronger than me?"

"Because it takes time, sweetie." She answers. "No one in this world is created equal."

"B-B-But I'm a royal..." She sniffs out. "I-I should be _above_ all others... and not at the _bottom_..."

"Pride hath a fall, Noelle." Vanessa _solemnly_ states. "We are in no place to decide how we're born into this world, but its only after we set foot onto the earth that we become the masters of our own fate."

"THEN WHY DID MY MOTHER HAVE TO DIE!?" She screamed out. "She... She should've just let me _die_ in her womb..."

"If she did that, do you think that she felt any better than you are right now?"

Noelle _springs_ up from her bed, faces Vanessa forward, and _slaps_ her face.

"JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY MOTHER!?"

"THAT SHE WAS A BETTER MOTHER THEN MINE COULD EVER HOPE TO BE!"

Noelle freezes in her place, _dumbstruck_.

"My mother only saw me as a tool." Vanessa spoke in a trembling tone. "From the moment I was _created_ , _not_ given birth, by her, she threw me into a cage until I could meet her absurdly high expectations."

"What were those expectations?" Noelle asked in a worried tone.

"The power to change _fate_."

"Fate?"

"I don't know what she ever meant nor I still haven't." She sighed out. "But even if I did somehow managed to meet her expectations, she would just then kill me where I stand, take the power that I worked hard for, and keep it all to herself."

"Oh God..." Noelle muttered. "Just what kind of a _monster_ is your mother?"

"The kind that sees _everything_ exists solely to _her_ benefit." Vanessa stated bluntly. "True parents give the world to their children just so that they can live. Your mother gave up _everything_ , including her own _life_ , just so that you can _live_."

Noelle's eyes then begin to stream down tears.

"In spite all life not being created equal, it doesn't mean that no life is completely meaningless." Vanessa stated in a sincere tone. "That's what Captain Yami taught me ever since I joined his squad."

"VANESSA!" The silver-haired girl then breaks down, glomping her senior Magic Knight. "I'M SO SORRY! I'M SO SORRY!" She sobbed out into Vanessa's lap.

"There, there." Vanessa pats Noelle's head. "The Black Bulls are now your _family_ now."

At her emotional apex, Noelle then sees the image of her _mother's face_.

Even at her _deathbed_ , the mother's pained smile wishes for the child to live.

Not only for _her_ sake.

But for _Noelle's_ sake.

* * *

 **Library, Black Bulls Base Interior (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

Ever since Jericho was a child, he always had a fascination with books.

For they were almost like people.

There were truths, there were also lies, but it didn't change the fact that it was someone's mental expression.

As he was finished reading through one of the ancient texts, Jericho then puts the finished text back into its shelf. In the gap between the bookshelves, he sees Gordon's face.

"Oh, hello there, Gordon." Jericho greeted.

"(Oh hey. Didn't know you were gonna be here.)" Gordon mumbled out.

"Well, I might as well adhere to the 'newbies doing the chores around the base' rule, so I excused myself down here to dust out this place." Jericho stated.

"(Well, take your time.)" He mumbles out. "(Almost no one comes down here, anyway. Kind of a shame, though.)"

"Indeed it is..." Jericho sighs out. "So tell me, Gordon."

"(I'm listening.)" The man addressed.

"What are the reasons for the Black Bull's horrid reputation?" Jericho asks. "And I don't mean it in a _insensitive_ way. It's just out of legitimate curiosity."

"(Well, for public reasons, it has to do with the fact we apparently cause the most property damage in our missions.)" Gordon mumbled out.

"Is that statement true?" Jericho asked.

"(About that...)" Gordon trails off for a moment. "(It's... _complicated_.)"

"Are the reports of the damages caused by your squad _happened_ to be _exaggerated_ fabrications?" Jericho retorts.

"(Hit the nail right where it really hurts.)" He replied in a soft tone. "(Sure, I'm not pointing fingers or anything, but we do occasionally destroy a stall or a two when we're chasing a ne'er do wells in our missions, but even then, we're not crooks.)"

"Then what are the reasons for such slander?" Jericho asks while dusting a tower of books.

"(Captain Yami.)" He replied. "(And such reasons for it are beyond _petty_ that it _hurts_ to think about it.)"

"Oh my god." Jericho stops dusting for a moment. "That bad?"

"(Very.)" He replied. "(Mainly the fact that no one would ever stand up for a foreigner. Especially when he became captain.)"

"I knew from the start that the Clover Kingdom is rather... wary when it comes to foreigners." Jericho sighs out. "So, I kinda had a hunch relating to such stigma. I should know, I saw that play out myself."

"(You did?)"

"I have an adopted brother who's also _Hanafudan_."

"( _Hanafudan_?)"

"His name is Taro." He recalled. "My parents found him in the shipwreck around his dead mother's arms. Since then, they raised us like brothers and once he learned our language, he told us that he was from a far-off kingdom called _Hanafuda_ , hypothetically the same kingdom where Captain Yami might've hailed from." He then smiles nostalgically. "Upon learning that, me and my family began looking deep into Hanafundan culture through texts found on that ship. Taro's knowledge on it was very limited, and we barely managed to translate only _2%_ of the text. But through that struggle, me and Taro bonded, as well as the rest of my family and servants."

"(Was it hard for him to fit into the Clover Kingdom?)" Gordon asked.

"Do you know the reasons why my family cut ties with the Clover Kingdom royalties and all of its nobles?" Jericho stated in a _venomous_ tone.

The duster in his hand snaps in his tightening grip.

"Taro was almost _killed_ by the other noble children just because he was _not_ from the Clover Kingdom." Jericho gritted through his teeth. "I was ten at that time, taro was only seven. And upon seeing such an act of cruelty, I threw my very first punch and me and Taro fought for our lives using only our bare _fists_ against their magic." He then places his hands onto his temple, while sitting on the dusty stone floor. "I told my parents what happened, and upon hearing such act, we made an unanimous agreement to leave our estate, rescind our title as royalty, and moved to the Forbidden Realm to protect my adopted brother."

"(Then, the observatory is really...)" Gordon trails off.

"Let's just say that the feelings of letting my brother see Clover Kingdom without getting maimed every second was _unanimous_. Until my ambitions are fulfilled, my brother is kept safeguarded in the observatory. And for an extra layer of protection, our observatory is Clover Kingdom-approved private property, so interlopers other than bandits or rouge mages cannot attack the place." Jericho solemnly stated. "As for my dreams of being a diplomat, it's for the sake of my _brother_. So that he won't be harmed by people plagued by ignorance. I don't hate the people that tried to kill Taro. I just _pity_ their _ignorance_." Jericho sighs out.

"Shows what I know about this world. People are never born wise, but that's why knowledge exists in the first place."

"(It probably has to do with the war between the Clover/Diamond Wars that caused the populace to be wary of foreigners.)" Gordon points out. "(But even then, I heard people were still hostile to non-Clovers.)"

"You may have a point, but that's why I want to be a diplomat so I can end this ceaseless cycle of paranoia, hatred, and bigotry." Jericho answers firmly. "Or at least stop the people from killing other people from other nations."

Gordon then kneels down and places his hand onto his shoulder. "I believe in you." He speaks in an _audible_ tone.

Jericho smiles back as he stands back onto his feet. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The two then go back to reading and dusting the books respectively.

* * *

 **Black Bull's Base Exterior (Early Evening)**

* * *

"... 489... 490... 491..." Yuno was in a push-up position, training his body after relentlessly training his body.

In terms of physical and mental strength, Asta was still a _whole world_ ahead of him.

He wasn't Asta, but sure as hell he'll _try_ , dammit.

Even if he can hear his bones _crunching_ under their own weight.

Even if his vision is starting get really _blurry_.

"... 497... 498.. 499..."

He'll make the one _final_ push.

"... 500!" Yuno then plops onto the dirt below, with his muscles _screaming_ in agony, and his breath struggling to take in oxygen.

"Not yet... not yet..." Yuno heaved out.

"WAHH! LOOK OUT!"

Yuno opens his eyes, barely seeing a basket full of various fruits falling towards him.

His fight or flight instincts kick in immediately.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble]...!" A ball of wind surrounds the falling fruit and basket, catching it mid-air.

"Hey!" A female voice called out from the distance.

Yuno looks toward where the voice was coming from.

"Hey... Charmy." The youth spoke out in a tired tone.

"Ah!?" The female Magic Knight exclaimed. "Is that you, newbie?" She then runs toward the collapsed youth.

"Can you... hurry up and... put the fruits back?" He moaned. "... I'm almost spent here."

The squat lady than proceeds to do as such.

"So... tell me..."

"La?" She exclaimed.

"What the actual hell... were you planning to do with... all that, anyway?"

"For tonight's dessert, of course!" She replied.

"You do know... that not all of us... are voracious as... you, right?" He moaned.

"I know, most of the quantity is for me anyway." She replied plainly. "But that aside, you look _awful_ right now. I get whetting your appetite before dinner through working out, but you're practically ground yourself right down to your _skeleton_!"

"Wait... do I?" Yuno tries to get up, but he tumbles back down to his knees and his face on the dusty earth below.

"Geez, I expected Magna or Luck to tire themselves out like this, but you, good sir, just took that cake and ate it whole." She then opens her grimoire. "[Cotton Creation Magic: Shepherd's Sheep]." Three humanoid sheeps appear before Yuno, helping him up back to his feet. "Please take him back into base and clean him up before dinner starts." Charmy orders the sheep.

The sheep then carries Yuno back into the base under his arms, with one making sure that he's still alive.

"Oh, my meal-saving prince..." Charmy sighed out as she carried her basket towards the base. "He tries so hard, but it'll all be in vain if he dies..." She sighs out once again before slapping herself out of her funk. "Nope! Nope! Bad Charmy! Bad things will only happen if you think about them!" She reassures herself. "Right. Once Yuno is cleaned up and awake, I'll spoil him like a banana and stuff him like a turkey, or else he'll shrivel up into a skeleton by tomorrow!" She then hustles toward the open door, sets the basket down near the kitchen, and casts [Cotton Creation Magic: Sheep Cooks] to summon sheep cooks to prep-cook tonight's dinner. "Not on my watch!"

Charmy then hears a pair of boisterous laughing coming from the entrance.

She looks out the kitchen, sees Magna and Captain Yami, walking together, in arm and arm, in the backdrop of a setting sun,

 **NAKED.**

"AGGAHH! CAPTAIN!?" She exclaimed with her eyes covered.

"Oi Charmy." He spoke out. "What's cookin'?"

"I was about to get started, but WAIT, WHY ARE YOU TWO NAKED!?"

"Captain Yami and I gambled literally _everything_ we had on us except for our grimoires and Magic Knight robes!"

"I swear! Over one million yuls! Disappeared! In an instant! And I'm not even mad!"

The two then let out another barrage of boisterous laughter, until they stop.

"Alright, enough chitchat, where the hell are the newbies?" Captain Yami asked Charmy.

"I just took Yuno back in after he had gone training himself to near-death, as for Jericho and Noelle, well..." She trails off.

"They're still in the base, right?" The Captain stated.

Charmy nods.

"Well once they get out of their funk, tell them this:"

Captain Yami then inhales his cigarette, causing the tip to glow.

"Tell them that their first mission as Magic Knights starts tomorrow." He then blows out a cloud of smoke. "And also Charmy,"

"Yes Captain?" She still covers her eyes while responding.

"Can you stop covering your eyes? You're turning my face red."

"I'M THE ONE WHO SHOULD BE TELLING YOU THAT!"

* * *

 **Demon's Hideout, Clover Kingdom (Evening)**

* * *

"... 9987... 9988... 9989..." Astaroth's collective sweats has formed a _pond_ beneath him for the past _2 hours_.

Claudius meanwhile, was still grilling Leif with questions about how the possible alliance will work, what to expect from the dark elves, and above all, how the they survived.

It was as successful as a squirrel trying to dig into a rock for nuts.

Made even more _fitting_ with Claudius sitting upon a rock that Astaroth had on his back, with the Prince himself trying to go for ten-thousand push-ups.

"So..." Claudius drones while nursing his headache.

"You never planned this far, haven't you?" Leif commented.

"To be fair, I should point out that we've both did _nothing_ but hide, loot off dead humans, and survive." Claudius sighed out.

The two negotiators let out a sigh.

"This... is all new to me." Leif addressed.

"Tell me about it..." Claudius groaned. "Until last night, I thought we were the only ones that are left that are not of a human race."

"Same here." Leif stated.

The just stare at each other in awkward silence.

"Umm. Claudius?"

"Yes milord?"

"Can you please get off of me? I'm done with my ten-thousand."

Claudius gets himself off of Astaroth's back.

"FREEDOM!" Astaroth _bolts_ out of the cave like a bat out of hell.

"Now then..." Claudius sees that the cave is clear of any eavesdroppers. "It's just us now."

Claudius then turns back to the boy.

"So tell me, why humans pass by your forest, despite clearly being know as _'Gallows Forest'_?" Claudius stated. "I mean, you stated that you _ate_ humans, so that means that you implied that it happened more than once."

"Even funnier, we clearly put a sign saying _'forfeit your life should you enter'_ , but despite _countless_ blatant warnings, the humans came in droves." Leif remarked. "Either they took that statement as a challenge, or our founder Vidar was right about magic the whole time."

"Stupidity or vanity?" The Demon asked.

"Would you believe me that it was _both_? _At the same time?_ " Leif answered.

"... I do not blame you for being mad at humanity's stupidity."

"Don't be. In fact, that fact alone actually helped my kind in the long run." Leif smirked. "But I gotta ask, why didn't the humans find you guys out?"

"Like this."

Claudius jumps up into the air, magically transforming himself into an anti-bird.

"... Holy shit." Leif commented. "Hidden in plain sight, huh?"

The anti-bird transforms back into Claudius.

"Exactly." The Fallen Angel remarked. "And for context, we were able to access into that form long before we were locked out of Hell."

"Wait, so does that mean-"

"Every anti-bird in the continent being a possible _Demon_ in disguise?" Claudius remarks. " _Maybe_."

Leif goes silent in _awe_.

"So, about the alliance?" Claudius stated.

"Yeah, I got nothing."

The two _groan_ in frustration.

"Yo guys." A voice comes from the entrance.

Claudius and Leif look toward the entrance, revealing Astaroth.

"Milord..." Claudius speaks. "About the alliance, I-"

"Look." Astaroth cuts him off. "I don't know how the whole alliance thing works, but instead of thinking too hard on it right now between the two of you only, why don't we worry about it until we actually meet Leif's friends?"

The two blink.

"That's... why didn't we think of that in the first place?" Claudius stated.

"To be fair, you seem like the type of guy who would literally plan for every single thing." Leif commented. "Hell, I wouldn't be surprised of the fact that you would forget a few things just for the fact that you were focused on one thing too hard."

"... You got me." Claudius sputtered.

"So, what we should've done in the first place is that we shouldn't have questioned this whole ordeal in the first place." Claudius stated.

"Exactly." Astaroth bluntly stated.

Claudius and Leif look at each other.

"Dead of night?"

"Hell yeah."

The two shake hands on mutual agreement. Tonight, they make their flight towards the Gallows Forest.

"So milord."

"Yeah?" Astaroth replied.

"You still know how to transform into your bird form, correct?"

Astaroth jumps up and transforms into an anti-bird. The bird then transforms back into its Fallen Angel form

"Good. Now keep doing that until we leave for Leif's home."

 **(Several Hours Later...)**

Daylight has died down beneath twilight, and now the dark elf and two Fallen Angels-disguised as anti-birds roam the dark of the night.

The group hops from tree branch to tree branch, above the unsuspecting fauna and occasional bandit.

With the dark elf boy leading the way, the two Fallen Angels/anti-birds converse telepathically, in secret from the boy.

 _"So milord, how's the link treating you?"_ Claudius asked.

 _"I still don't know how we're doing this in the first place."_ Astaroth stated.

 _"Well, for starters, link is established as a default method of communication when we're in out anti-bird forms."_

 _"Okay, but how did you communicate telepathically back at the Eye of the Midnight Sun base raid? I recall you being in your Fallen Angel form at that time."_

 _"True, but I'll let you off with one thing."_

 _"Which is?"_

 _"Demons don't learn."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"We adapt."_

 _"What do you mean by that?"_

 _"You'll know when you get there."_

 _"And when will I get there?"_

 _"I would recommend Hell, but as of now, we'll simply have to make do."_

 _"Now that I think about it, why did you day that you were marooned in this world?"_

 _"You know that the gates of Hell were sealed away, right?"_

 _"Yeah, so?"_

 _"Do you know where the gate itself is at, right now?"_

 _"No, not really."_

 _"Here's a hint: it's buried under a mile-thick layer of mortar, cobblestone, dirt, architecture, and people's footsteps."_

 _"Don't tell me..."_

 _"The gates of Hell directly under the Clover Kingdom's Capital City. Courtesy of that blasted Sephira, the damned burning BITCH!"_

 _"Um, Claudius? Who's Sephira?"_

 _"An Angel, our opposites. Where as we rise from the depths of Hell, the Angel descend from the advent of Heaven. Unlike us Demons, they don't need to develop. From the moment they are created, they are infinite, where as us Demons have to break limits endlessly."_

 _"So if the two meet..."_

 ** _"Armageddon."_**

 _"... What's that?"_

 _"The end of all creation, heralded by the two forces beyond the boundaries of life and death clashing endlessly. Sephira, being the naive and foolhardy greenhorn she is, decides to intervene upon the living to rig the odds to her kind's favor."_

 _"So you're saying that a single Angel somehow managed to screw you all over. How?"_

 _"In our defense, we were too by-the-book."_

 _"By the book?"_

 _ **"We're evil in nature, but we are reasonable enough to play by the rules of the Origin, the creator of all, since day one. But one of the angels decides to implant the knowledge of magic and the damned Sefirot to the mortals. In essence, not only magic, which it shouldn't have existed in the minds of mortals, but the ultimate cheatsheet of life, death, and rebirth, effectively committing a taboo so great, that it pretty much destroyed the balance of this whole mortal plane, IS NOW IN THE HANDS OF THE LIVING!"**_

 _"So that's why we're here..."_

 _"We're effective cleaning up the mess that a single greenhorn Angel made. Now, I don't hate the fact that my kind has been reduced to menial laborers, in fact, that's what we've done since day one of creation, tempting sin everywhere we go. **I JUST HATE THE FACT THAT ONE OF US BROKE THE RULES AND CAUSING THIS WHOLE SHITSTORM IN THE FIRST PLACE!** "_

 _"Wow... This is gonna be a lot harder then I thought."_

 _"Its fortunate that us Demons were made for this."_

 _"In what way?"_

 _"The Angels are the purveyors of knowledge. We're damage control, insurance, and counterbalance. We're only classified as evil out of a greater necessity."_

 _"So in the grand scheme of things, you're not out to end all magic. You guys just want your jobs back."_

 _"Everybody within the whims of the Origin work for a living, you know. To not work means a fate worse than death."_

"We're here." Leif breathed out.

The two anti-birds perches onto his shoulders. The two look over the dim settlement nested between the thick tree branches above the muddy swamp below.

Leif then jumps off of the branch he was on, and lands onto a _wooden platform_.

 _"Nalkriuk'uk avhere!? (Who's there!?)"_ A masculine voice cried out.

"Iav'uk alnej, leif! (It's me, Leif!)" The boy cried out.

 _"Milord, why are they speaking in fluent Daemontongue!?"_

 _"Dunno, nor I want to find out."_

The figure descends, revealing an adult-looking dark elf. Similar ash-gray hair, reddish-dark brown skin, dusty gray and brown garbs cover his form, and a bow and arrow in his hands.

"Nalkramal avhe skator were lat? lat were gone for avhe whole dautas! (Where the hell were you? You were gone for the whole day!)" The man chastised.

"Jiak found help! (I found help!)" Leif enthusiastically stated. "Agh don'av worry! they're noav shara, like uuk! (And don't worry! They're not human, like us!)"

The two birds then flutter off of the boy's shoulder and in front of the man.

"Leif. They're juukav anavi-birduk. (Leif. They're just anti-birds.)" The man deadpanned.

The two anti-birds transform back into their Fallen Angel forms.

"Hello." Claudius spoke out.

"INTRUDERS!" The man draws his bow and arrow in front of the Demon.

Astaroth then looks around the surrounding branches, seeing other dark elves drawing their bows.

They all fire upon the two.

"Milord."

"Way ahead of you." Astaroth draws Reject out of his five-leaf grimoire and parries _every single arrow_ shot at them and back to their respective archer's bows, knocking them out of their hands.

"Waiav! they're noav humanuk! (Wait! They're not humans!)" Leif cried out as he wildly waved both of his hands.

The other dark elves then notice the two gigantic pairs of wings on their backs.

"Then nalkriuk avhe skator ayh avhey!? (Then who the hell are they!?)" The man then draws an _iron_ short sword from his belt.

Every other dark elf then draws their own weapons.

"He wasn't kidding about the iron." Astaroth commented.

"Milord, later." Claudius then steps up toward the lead male dark elf. "Jiak bebefori avhaav jiak gelnaj clear up avhiuk liavavle miukunderukavandaumn. (I believe that I could clear up this little misunderstanding.)"

"Waiav, lat ukpeak our language!? (Wait, you speak our language!?)" The man exclaimed.

"Now avhen... (Now then...)" Claudius then sits down on the wooden floor, cross-legged, in front of the leader.

"Shall kulknej avalk? (Shall we talk?)"

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Info-dump, the chapter, ladies and gentlemen.

My creative stamina is starting to stall on me after roughly _two weeks_ of nonstop brainstorming, writing, and checking e-mails for any crap related to college.

I need a break.

BTW: The name Sephira is mentioned in chapter 182 in the canon manga, and the name somehow connects to the elves and their reincarnation ritual. I'm claiming that Angels are a thing here.

And if the Elves that we've seen claim that they're loved by mana, what's stopping the claim that Sephira was the origin of all magic in the Black Clover universe?

Also creator deity is called Origin.

Basically the speechless omnipotent concept where literally everything traces back to.

So now, onto the recap:

Noelle lets it all out on Vanessa after her meltdown.

Jericho is lamenting the world's ignorance as the source of everyone's mutual suffering.

Gordon and Jericho bond over their love of benevolent knowledge.

Yuno's physical conditioning is slowly becoming self-destructive.

And the Black Bull's first mission is on their next day.

As for the Demons, Astaroth, Claudius, and Leif make their way towards the Gallows Forest.

Claudius reveals the existence of Angels to Astaroth.

Claudius also gets super-pissed on even mentioning Sephira.

And the Dark Elves were even more hostile and the Demons anticipated, but fortunately, no one was badly hurt.

And now the discussion of the possible alliance begins...

... Also there are plans to flesh out the Black Bull members's personalities.

Question of the chapter: What name do you think the Dark Elf Leader has? (Hint: Name every Norse god that you possibly can.)

Answers will be revealed in the next chapter.

So what do you guys think of this chapter?

Should I take a break and focus on school until my creative side recuperates?

Let comment or a review, for I like to know what my audience is thinking.


	14. Saga 14: Slow Ride

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 14: Slow Ride**

* * *

 **Secret Dark Elf Village, Gallows Forest, Clover Kingdom (Midnight)**

* * *

 **Note: All the conversations between the Demons and the Dark Elves for this section will be spoken in translated Daemontongue. Because I am not double-tonguing like last time, not only for my sake, but the readers's as well.**

 **You're welcome.**

The whole treetop village was deathly silent as this unfamiliar figure was sitting at the center of their plaza cross-legged, right in front of their leader, spoke in a familiar tongue, and is demanding to _talk_.

"You want to talk?" The leader growled out. "To hell with that. Just what the hell are with those black wings on your back?"

"You wish me to introduce myself?" The Fallen Angel spoke to the leader. "Then allow me to get started. But first, would you sit down? I'd like to talk while facing you eye-to-eye."

The leader then sits down cross-legged in front of the sitting winged figure.

"My name is Claudius Nero Bael, and as you to can tell from the wings on my back, I'm a _Demon_."

All noise _dies_ around the secret village.

"A _Fallen Angel_ , specifically."

"I don't believe you." The leader responded in a monotone voice.

"Right back at you." Claudius shot back at the leader. "At least until I met him." He points toward Leif. "So can I get your name?"

"If you insist." The leader grumbled. "I'm Thor." The leader stated.

"It's nice to know your name, Thor." Claudius responded.

"What do we have here?" An old, _creaky_ voice croaked out.

The crowd disperses to reveal a hunchbacked elderly dark elf with a leather eye patch over his right side. Attending the elder was an _eerily-familiar looking_ female dark elf.

 _"Milord, why does that dark elf look like that Eye of the Midnight Sun member that got away a few days back!?"_ Claudius _alarmingly_ stated to his Prince in the link.

 _"Just play it cool for now."_ Astaroth telepathically responded. _  
_

"Grandfather!" The female dark elf spoke. "It's late, you should be in bed right now."

"Fret not, Sinmara." The elder spoke out. "I'm well."

"Elder Odin!" Thor cried out. "What are you doing here?"

"Please, call me grandfather." The elder responded.

"Grandfather!" The two younger voices cried out from a distance.

"See? Like that." The old dark elf addressed to Thor.

From the crowd, two teenage dark elf boys emerged, both of them also looking very _eerily-familiar_.

They look like _Patry_ and _Vetto_ if they aged back down to their adolescence.

 _"Okay. This is bullshit."_ Claudius deadpanned telepathically.

 _"I agree."_ Astaroth telepathically stated.

"Is something the matter?" Thor asked.

"If I said nothing, you wouldn't believe me, would you?"

"Depends on what you say next, the answer might vary." Thor's hand then moves closer to his blade.

"About those two kids." The Fallen Angel points toward the two. "What are their names?"

"I'm Baldur!" The Patry-lookalike beamed.

"And I'm Tyr!" The Vetto-lookalike also beamed.

"Apologizes." Claudius spoke to the two kids. "It's just that the two kids look a lot like the people that me and milord have just recently-"

Claudius stops mid-sentence.

"Oh _hells_ below no..." He muttered.

"What is it?" Thor stated to the frozen Demon.

"Someone get me something to write with." Claudius spoke in a dull tone.

"Will this do?" Sinmara then hands the Demon a small knife and a board of wood.

"It'll do." The Demon then starts carving _something_ onto the board.

"Wait Claudius, what's going on?" Astaroth spoke out.

Claudius then stops writing.

"Oh son of a bitch."

"Well, what is it?" Thor spoke out.

"I think I just figured out how the dark elves came into existence came into the first place."

All noise dies around the whole village.

"Well now." Odin spokes his beard. "Care to explain?" The elder spoke out in a _menacing_ undertone.

The Demon then takes a breath before speaking. "For starters, I am over a _millennia_ old. And I've seen all events transpire before my eyes, including the elf village massacre."

The dark elves gasp in horror.

"Then if you were there, why didn't you help us?" Thor asked in a growling tone.

"Okay, three things." Claudius stated. "First, I'm a _Demon_. I don't help people. I screw them over. Second, the whole situation was not caused by me, my kind, or even a human. And third, even after you said everything, _now_ you're asking for our help?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN A HUMAN WASN'T RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR ANCESTOR'S NEAR EXTINCTION!?" Thor _roared_ out. "WHO ELSE BUT THOSE BASTARDS COULD'VE SENT OUR KIND SPIRALING DOWN THIS HELLHOLE!?"

"Few things." Claudius stated. "First, who here knows an elf that goes by the name of _Raia_?"

Only a _few_ hands were raised in the air.

"I'll get to the point; he was responsible for your former kind's demise."

Gasps of horror fill the air.

"Explain." Thor uttered. "Explained why one of three apostles of Sephira was the one that nearly killed off our kind." His voice becoming deeper in bottled rage.

"Two reasons." Claudius stated. "First, he was hiding the fact that he was a _half-elf_ the whole time."

"How exactly?" Odin strokes his beard.

"[Copy Magic]. Make of that what you will." The Fallen Angel coolly stated.

The whole village murmur in confusion.

"Second, he made a contract with me, condemning his own soul to Hell in exchange for _one_ favor from my kind."

"SO IT WAS YOUR FAULT ALL ALONG!" Thor then drew his blade from his belt and points it toward Claudius's face.

"In my defense, I did not know that he was going to summon our king in the first place." Claudius assured. "That aside, was there a rain of light upon your ancestor's village on that day?"

"WHAT RAIN OF LIGHT!?" Thor roared out. "ALL THAT HAPPENED WAS THAT THE HUMANS FOUND THEIR VILLAGE AND BURNED IT TO THE GROUND!"

"I knew it."

"KNOW WHAT!?" The leader roared out.

"Allow me to explain." The Demon then hands Thor the wooden tablet. "Before we met, there was an insurgence group within the Clover Kingdom dubbed the Eye of the Midnight Sun. Their leader was Licht, or correct me if I get his name wrong, a _reincarnated_ Patry."

The collective eyes of the dark elves open wide in shock.

Especially _Baldur's_.

"You mean my family's _precursor_?" The boy's voice trembled.

"So that explains why he looks so much like him." Astaroth offhandedly mentions.

"Okay, so what does that have to do with our existence?" Odin spoke out.

"I'll cut to the point; I think me and my faction might've accidentally altered history."

The concept of sound goes _extinct_.

"HOW!?" The whole village then resurrects the sound back to life.

"Okay folks, you better braces yourselves." Claudius warned. "This might get a little... _convoluted_."

"This outta be good." Thor snarked.

"So, milord." Claudius turns to Astaroth. "If I recall correctly, the [Copy Magic] user was wielding a sword of light, correct?"

The Prince nods.

"Can you draw on what it looks like?" He then hands the knife to Astaroth.

He then traces a shape that looks like a line with saw-like teeth on its sides.

"Thought so." Claudius confirms the shape. "I saw rain of light being completely composed of light constructs shaped like this."

"And what does that have to do with us?" Thor pointed out.

"He copied it from the leader, correct?" Claudius ignores Thor in favor of his lord.

"Yeah, I saw it myself."

"GET TO THE FUCKING POINT!" Thor roared out.

"Simply put, _Patry_ was the one responsible for the rain of light that I saw a millennia ago, but that would mean that same magic should've been sent back in time." Claudius's head then begins to emit _smoke_.

"So that would mean-"

 **"PATRY ACCIDENTALLY CHANGED THE PAST BY THAT RAIN OF LIGHT AND WE'VE ACCIDENTALLY SET THE TIMELINE BACK TO ITS PROPER COURSE BY KILLING HIM BEFORE HE CAN DO IT."**

Claudius then falls flat on his back after _overheating_ his brain.

A splash of water drenches the collapsed Fallen Angel.

"Thought you needed it." Sinmara stated while holding an empty bucket.

"Thanks." The Demon then sits back up then shakes off the water off of his form.

"So what you're saying is that one of the elves that reincarnated to this current time accidentally sent a rain of light back into his past." Thor stated. "Explain."

"Gladly." Claudius then shakes himself off before addressing. "First, an attack of that scale can only be achieved by either an elf or a four-leaf human, but if the four-leaf released an attack of that magnitude on a village, then he wouldn't have been able to defeat King Apocrypha due to his reserves of mana being spent."

"That... makes _too_ much sense." Thor tried to retort, but fails.

"Second, I don't think that Patry intentionally set the rain back in time, unless he was that _far-gone_." Claudius addressed. "I've seen that he was far gone as _Licht_ , but even then, there were still bits of sanity left within him, so that leaves only two possibilities."

"One is that someone used [Time Magic] to send that attack back in time in sometime in the supposed future."

"The other is that an event beyond logic happened that caused the space-time continuum to be distorted, warping history in some sort of a metaphysical hiccup."

Silence.

"I think the former sounds a bit more plausible then the latter." Thor stated in a defeated tone. "But seriously, did the humans become so adept at using magic to the point that they're possibly capable of manipulating _time_ itself?"

"In my bird form, I've heard a few rumors floating around that the current Wizard King is a master of [Time Magic]." Claudius confirmed.

Thor then looks _helplessly_ at the elder.

The elder solemnly nods at Thor.

"About the alliance." Thor stated to the Demon.

"Speak no more." Claudius cut off Thor. "How many anti-birds are in these woods?"

"They're everywhere, why?" Baldur stated.

"He's taking the whole revelation pretty well." Astaroth remarked.

Claudius then snaps his fingers, sending a _resonating_ snap throughout the whole woods.

Every single anti-bird in the branches of Gallows Forest concentrates around Claudius.

He then snaps his fingers again, and every anti-bird around him transforms into a black-winged humanoids.

Every one of them transformed into Demons before the dark elves.

Fallen Angels, specifically.

"Fret not." Claudius stated to the dark elves. "We Demons need not of food or rest, so do not fear of sharing your bounty."

The dark elves collectively sigh in relief.

"Wait Claudius, then why do we have food and water back at our hideout?" Astaroth stated.

"Bait." The Fallen Angel. "The animals that we drain of fat and bones aren't going to hunt themselves, now aren't they?"

"Got it." The Prince stated.

"So..." Claudius then turns to Thor. "Do we have an alliance?"

The leader sighs in resignation. "Fine. But you better not get us all killed."

"Trust me." Claudius assured. "I am the Demon King's tactician for a reason. Hell, I've already planned for the a raid for a nearby village in the Forbidden Realm in my head during the whole discussion."

"And where would the raid take place?" Astaroth asked.

"Oh some little hamlet dubbed _Rayaka Village_." The Fallen Angel stated. "Worst case scenario, a few novice magic knights will be around, but even if they turn out rather dangerous for their rank, I have contingencies if things go south." He then turns back to Thor. "So, you folks interested?"

"We're listening..." He says with a _bloodthirsty_ smile. "... For methinks that it was about time we headed outside."

* * *

 **Black Bull's Base, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Morning)**

* * *

The sun rises over forest where the Black Bull's base lie.

Yuno, still in his bed, takes off his sheet when the sunlight beats over his face through the window.

"Morning already?" Yuno grumbled out as he tires to get up.

Keyword being "tried".

Yuno's body suddenly goes limp, hits the stone floor, and every single muscle fiber in his body goes into a spasm of _unspeakable_ agony.

"AGH!" Yuno coils his body into a ball, squirming on the floor.

"Yuno!" The door opens, revealing Jericho. "Yuno, what's going on?"

"My body..." The youth gritted out. "... hurts... everywhere... like if... was on fire..."

"Oh dear..." Jericho groaned out. "Muscle cramps?"

"... Why...?" He gasped out.

"Later. For now, I'll get you to the kitchen where there's water." The burly youth with a mullet picks up Yuno in his arms and runs out the door.

 **(Few minutes later...)**

"Feeling better?" Jericho asked as Yuno who was currently downing his _third_ glass of water.

"It's not hurting anymore..." Yuno gasped out.

"My god kid." Captain Yami smoked out. "Didn't I tell you to _not_ rush it?"

Yuno remains silent to that remark.

"Normally, I would tell you to go back to bed and let your body heal, but the three of you have been given orders from the _upper brass_ as your first missions, so I guess sitting out isn't an option now, isn't?"

In truth, he was _lying_.

The mission did not come from the top, but rather, it was a mission from the common request board that Captain Yami and Magna agreed to the employer, after the two lost a card game to him.

If he had to choose between being reasonable or honorable, the answer would vary on the current situation.

And right now, he needed to keep his word to the employer, the Saussy Village's Elder.

"Yuno, Jericho, and Noelle." The Captain stated. "You three will head out to your first mission this afternoon with Vice-Captain Magna to evaluate your performances, understood?"

"Yes Captain!" Jericho salutes.

"Very well." Noelle flips her hair.

Yuno slightly nods.

"And Yuno." Captain Yami speaks to the youth. "Don't rush it."

"Yes Captain." Yuno speaks in a soft tone as he then begins eating the pile of food sitting right in front of him.

"Don't hold back, you hear?" Charmy spoke to the youth.

Yuno wordlessly picks up the utensils and begins digging into the food.

The amount of eggs, meat, cheese, and vegetables was enough to make the most well-fed of nobles _barf_.

Captain Yami then shoots a glare at the youth.

Yuno then remembers his advice.

 _"Don't rush it."_ He repeats under his breath.

"You're getting there kid. Keep at it that way."

The boy then _steadily_ eats through his oversized breakfast omelette. Starting with the sauteed mushroom.

"So..." Jericho spoke to Yuno. "Do you know what the Magic Knights do?"

"Well, I know for the fact that they didn't show up when my brother was mutilated."

"Harsh."

The whole room goes still.

"... Anyway." Jericho stated. "Aside from that, can we get the second opinions from the other members?"

"THEN ALLOW ME!" Magna roared out. "OUR JOB IS TO HANDLE DOMESTIC SECURITY! IT'S THE WORLD'S MOST MANLIEST JOB, DAMMIT!"

"Anyone else?" Jericho stated out.

"Well..." Vanessa mumbled. "We... protect people? Something like that." She then tries to pour wine into her cup but the bottle itself was snatched away by Jericho.

"It's too early in the morning to get wasted, Miss Enoteca."

"Hey, last night was only 10 hours ago." She responded.

"Please get that looked at." Jericho then puts the bottle far from her reach. "Anyone else?"

"Well..." Luck mused. "It's a kind of job where we can beat up bad guys as much as we want and don't get in trouble for it!"

"Don't remind me." Yuno droned.

"Anyone else that's _less_ bloodthirsty?" Jericho mused.

"It's a job where my little angel Marie is proud of me of having." Gauche speaks while holding up a picture of a little girl and nosebleeding, as _usual_.

"Anyone else?" Jericho groaned.

"(Well, it's a kind of job where we get to make a difference.)" Gordon mumbled.

"Egghead, translate." Captain Yami stated while sipping on his cup of coffee.

"He says that it's a job where people can make a difference." Jericho stated.

The other Black Bull members murmur as they've gained a _new perspective_ on Gordon.

"Alright, umm... anyone else?"

"I'll go!" Charmy's hand then shoots up. "I dunno much, but as you're a Magic Knight, you'll never have to worry about going hungry!"

Yuno then feels a heavy breath blowing on his back. He turns around, only to see Grey's hand reaching for his shoulder.

Grey then transforms into Yuno.

"You'll be just fine." Yuno!Grey stated.

"Alright, enough chit-chat." Captain Yami stands up. "I'm gonna go take a shit."

 **(Few Hours Later...)**

Noon hits, and the three recruits are lined up outside the base, and Vice-Captain

"So, Vice-Captain Magna," Jericho states. "What would be our mission today?"

"Glad you asked, Erico!" Magna mispronounces Jericho's name. "Today, you three are given the honor of slaying boars that have been fucking up Saussy Village's crops!"

Noelle tries to speak against it, but upon glancing at Yuno, she decides to keep her mouth shut for the sake of her well-being.

"So!" Magna barks out towards the three. "Which of you knows how fly a broom?"

Only Noelle does not raise her hand.

"Welp." Magna then scratches the back of his head. "Guess I'm gonna have to break out my baby then."

 _"Baby?"_ The three collectively thought.

"All of you come with me to the back." Magna gestured.

Yuno and Jericho grab their brooms, and the three follow the Vice-Captain to a brick shed at the back.

Magna opens the wooden double doors, dragging out a broom with a broad black leather seating that can fit up to three people, and topped with a bull's skull wearing an oversized pair of shades.

Simply put, the Vice-Captain's custom broom was the perfect 1/1 refection of his personality.

"Say hello to my little baby, CRAZY CYCLONE!" The Vice-Captain declared loudly.

Noelle tries to say something, but cuts herself off upon seeing Yuno.

"Noelle?" Yuno asks the silver-haired girl.

Noelle yipes in surprise.

"Are you alright? You look... rather _fidgety_."

"Vice-Captain? Permission to speak freely?" Jericho asks.

"Make it quick."

"Thank you." He then turns to Yuno with a _scolding_ look.

Yuno looks at him in surprise.

"Is it obvious?" Jericho states to the youth. "After what you've pulled yesterday, your mere presence _terrifies_ her."

Yuno opens his eyes wide in shock.

He then turns to Noelle, who in turn, backs away _trembling_.

Yuno tries to make up for it. "You could ride with me if you want."

"No... that's all right..." The girl spoke in a sheepish tone. "I'll be fine with riding with... Magna's broom."

"Uhh... lady Noe?" Magna pointed out. "You do know that Jericho's there, right?"

"I know." She replied. "I just don't wish to be an inconvenience, and I know that you went through all this for me..."

Magna then turns to Jericho for help.

"Do what the lady says." The mulleted man responded. "We don't have all day."

 **(One painfully quiet and awkward flight to Saussy Village later...)**

* * *

 **Saussy Village Outskirts, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

"[Wind Magic: Air Bubble-Separator]!" A sphere of wind surrounds the boar's ember-crowned head.

Yuno balls his hand, the sphere closes in, and the boar's head _slips_ off of its neck.

"That's three..." Yuno heaved.

"[Fire Magic: Exploding Fireball]!" An explosion of flames was heard from the distance. "Hell yeah! That's five!"

"[Platinum Creation Magic: Glitter Darts]!" Sounds of small objects _piercing_ through flesh and bone was heard. "Yuno! You holding up there just fine?"

Yuno tries to say something, but his throat was too parched to say anything.

"Here." Yuno looks to his side, and sees Noelle handing him a pouch of water.

Yuno takes it from her hands, rips open the cap, and swigs on it.

He then hands the pouch back to Noelle. "Thanks." Yuno spoke to the girl.

The girl then makes her way without saying a word. He then sees her trying to shoot [Water Magic: Naga's Fang] toward the charging boar, only for the shot to arc downward, sending the boar flying off of its hooves, towards Yuno's direction.

"[Wind Magic: Crescent Moon Sickle]!" A crescent blade of wind splits through the flying boar in half.

Blood and guts rain on the unsuspecting youth, not that he was expecting anything.

"Alright!" Magna cried out. "I think that's all of them-"

"VICE-CAPTAIN! BEHIND YOU!" Jericho cried out.

Behind Magna, an _exceptionally_ large boar with a _mane_ of fire comes charging in towards the unsuspecting Vice-Captain.

"[Steel Creation Magic: Ranger's Bow]!" Numerous steel arrows pierce the boar's side, keeling the _alpha_ over dead.

"Old man Seyhe!" Magna cried out towards the figure with the bow and arrow. "You saved my bacon back there!"

"Heh, no problem, you punk." The elder then slaps Magna on the back. "So who are these fine folks that you've brought to our humble abode?"

"They're the new members of my squad!" The thuggish youth stated. "And hear this, I got promoted to Vice-Captain!"

The old man lets out a fit of laughter as he continues to smack Magna on his back. "You don't say!"

"Dead serious, you old fart!"

The two then bellow out fits of laughter.

The three novice Magic Knights see a resemblance between the two.

"So?" Magna spoke to the three. "Ya gonna introduce yourselves?"

"I'll start." The mulleted youth stated. "I'm Jericho Platnia. Magic Knight-in-training, scholar, gentleman, ex-royalty, and aspiring diplomat."

"Phahaha!" The old man bellowed out. "This boy dreams big as his whole body!"

"Thank you for the compliment." Jericho stated.

"I'm Yuno." The black-haired youth stated.

"And I'm Noelle." The silver-haired girl stated meekly.

"Well." The old man stroked his graying goatee. "Those are some fine folks that you're leading."

"Proud of it." Magna replied enthusiastically.

"Don't let em' down, you hear?" The old man stated.

"FUCK YEAH!" Magna roared out.

"Now then..." The man approaches toward the pile of boars. "Would you four like to stay for dinner?"

"Excuse me?" Yuno stated.

"Well, it's not these boars aren't going to eat themselves, you know." Elder Seyhe stated. "Plus, think of it as a bonus from your employer."

"You three outta try Saussy Village's signature pot roast!" Magna stated. "The thing tastes like if you've seen the face of God!"

"Well, if the host offers, the guest accepts." Jericho stated. "It'll be rude not to."

Yuno wordlessly nods. Noelle fidgets.

"Alright then, it's settled!" Magna stated. "I'll show you guys around the village before supper starts!"

* * *

 **Rayaka Village Outskirts, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Evening)**

* * *

The sun has now begun to set.

Darkness blankets over the skies.

The people are now in their respective shelters.

Thinking that they're _safe_.

 _Except not really._

In the woods surrounding the village, a dozen cloaked and masked figures prowl the unsuspecting village under the cover of the night.

Upon nearing the gates of the village, the figures gesture towards each other.

Upon all of them nodding in agreement, the figures all disperse in different directions, with one approaching the gates.

"Excuse me." The village watch asked the masked figure. "Are you passing by or-"

Before the man could finish speaking, he finds a _knife_ inserted into his throat. The figure retrieves his knife from the gargling corpse.

The other village watch atop of the watchtower tries to ring the alarm, but two other cloaked figures slit their throats before they can respond.

The village was now defenseless.

The figures then draw their knives and light their torches.

 **"Zaburz, we gajup."**

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Quick question, who here tried to explain _multiverse theory_ and _butterfly effect_ at the _same_ time, in _writing_?

Because for me, I dread the fact of doing it again, because I know I've planned for it in this fic.

God fucking help me.

Because I just went through explaining a _temporal triple whammy_.

So now, the recap;

Fallen Angels and the Dark Elves now form an alliance after accidentally catching the first temporal butterfly.

Yuno's dogmatic persistence is already starting to take toll on his body.

Noelle has now developed PTSD towards Yuno after his little "outburst" and now her canon personality went almost 180.

Jericho is trying to keep Yuno and Noelle's heads together so that they don't blow it on their first mission.

And now Magna's hometown is being raided by mysterious figures (If it wasn't obvious enough who, then God help that poor fuck).

Hypothetical Voices (For funsies):

Thor: Yoshimasa Hosoya (JPN), Christopher Bevins (ENG)

Sinmara: Saki Ogasawara (JPN), Trina Nishimura (ENG)

Odin: Kenchi Ogata (JPN), Charles Campbell (ENG)

Baldur: Miho Masaka (JPN), Derek Stephen Prince (ENG)

Tyr: Yuuto Uemura (JPN), Alejandro Saab (ENG)

So what do you guys think of this chapter?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I like to know what my audience is thinking.


	15. Saga 15: Send Me An Angel

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 15: Send Me An Angel**

* * *

 **Saussy Village, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Night)**

* * *

"KANPAI!" Numerous pints of ale clank to each other.

In Saussy Village's town hall, the Black Bull Magic Knights were guests in a village-wide feast after their completion of neutralizing the boars stampeding around the fields.

On one end of the corner, Yuno and Noelle were sitting at the table, staring at their drinks and occasionally glancing at each other before averting their gazes and staring back at their drinks.

"Aw what are you folks doing here just moping around?" Elder Seyhe then places two plates of boar pot roast right in front of the two. "Go on. You two have earned it."

The two then take their forks and eat their fill.

"Holy crap, this tastes really good." Yuno muttered as he took his first bite.

Noelle just kept eating her pot roast, surprised on how scrumptious it is.

"So!" Magna appeared before the two recruits. "How do you guys like it!?"

"I think Charmy would _love_ this." Yuno muffled through his food.

"Please, she would love _anything_ that remotely tastes good." Magna stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Well, the boars will probably come back next season, so if you guys have any recruits next year, bring em to me so I can treat them to our village's pot roast, ya hear?" Elder Seyhe spoke of the Black Bull Magic Knights.

"Not if I beat you in cards next time, old man!" Magna bellowed out his a _blush_ on his face.

 _"Oh god, he wasted already..."_ Noelle thought while eating her pot roast.

"HA!" The village elder exclaimed. "YOU WISH!"

"YOU WANNA GO, YOU OLD FART!?"

"I'LL KICK YOUR ASS ALL THE WAY TO NEXT TUESDAY, YA WHIPPERSNAPPER!"

The villagers _laugh_ at the two spectacle of what can be assumed as a drunken brawl.

Expect the two of them were _so wasted_ that they're _both_ facing _away_ from each other while raising their fists.

Yuno and even _Noelle_ couldn't help but laugh at this bizarre spectacle.

Jericho then approaches the two at the table. "Enjoying yourselves, you two?"

"Surprisingly, yes." Yuno mumbles out with food in his cheeks.

"Geez..." Noelle sighed out. "When will you stop talking with your mouth full?"

Yuno just looks at her with both of his cheeks bulging out.

Noelle just groans at Yuno's lack of table manners.

"Glad you two made up then." Jericho then walks toward the face-planted Vice-Captain and lifts the drunken Vice-Captain off of the cobble floor.

Yuno slightly chuckles at the scene unfolding before him.

 **(An hour later...)**

"Well..." Jericho mumbled as he was scratching the back of his head. "I guess we better head back before Captain Yami haves our heads."

"Oh! Thought I forgot somethin'." Elder Seyhe then hands the Black Bull Magic Knight a pot of the pork pot roast. "Thought the Black Bulls can use a little thanks. Also, tell that brat Yami to visit here sometime, ya hear!?"

"Got it, old man!" Magna yelled out, slightly _buzzed_.

"Noelle, you want to get on mine?" Yuno asks while he's flying on his broom.

"I guess..." The silver-haired girl then hops onto the four-leaf's broom. "But how are you standing on your broom in the first place?"

"Dunno." The youth responded. "Thought it looked cool, and it turns out that I'm really good at it."

"Sorry if I asked." Noelle stated.

"Don't worry about it." He shrugs while the girl gets on his broom.

"Vice-Captain, permission to ride your Crazy Cyclone due to you currently being too impaired to ride a broom?" Jericho stated.

"I would kick your ass all the way to next week for just saying that, but fuck it." Magna groaned. "Just don't break it, ya hear?"

"I'm a gentleman of my word, Vice-Captain." Jericho then lifts Magna over his large shoulder and gets on Crazy Cyclone.

"Alright then." The two brooms then take off of the ground. "We're off."

"Take care of yourselves, ya hear!?" The elder hollered.

"Right back you, you old fart!' Magna groaned out over Jericho's shoulder.

The four Magic Knights then fly off into the night sky.

Saussy Village was now behind them. The Magic Knights were now all to themselves now in the night sky.

"That was a pleasant evening." Jericho muttered.

"Told ya that their pot roast was the best..." Magna moaned.

Yuno then takes in the night air through his nostrils, letting the fresh air sooth his soul.

Ever since he was a kid, he and Asta would run around the open plains after they were done with their chores for the day. Yuno would spend the rest of the day looking at the skies above, fascinated by the sheer vastness of the world above him.

Now Asta's no longer with him to share such feeling.

He then lets out a sigh, right before the fresh air that he was breathing in was starting to smell like smoke.

Then the sounds of crackling was heard from _below_.

Then the temperature began to increase.

Then a slight glow warmed up to Yuno's eyes.

The town below the Magic Knights were on fire.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Noelle yelled from behind. "THE VILLAGE IS ON FIRE!"

"What's goin' on down there..." Magna the looks down onto the burning village, and then he _immediately_ sobers up.

"MOMMA! POPS!" The Vice-Captain yells out towards below. "GET ME CLOSER!"

"Yes sir!" Jericho then lowers Crazy Cyclone down towards the village below.

"[Water Magic: Naga's Fang]!" A blast of water shoots toward the burning house near the two. "DON'T GO IN WITHOUT A PLAN, YOU DOLTS!"

"NOELLE! PUT OUT THE FIRE!" Magna yelled from below.

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE! YUNO! GET US CLOSER!"

"Got it!" Yuno then lowers his broom while Noelle keeps firing her [Water Magic: Naga's Fang] on the burning buildings.

"MOMMA! POPS!" Magna keeps yelling through the burning village.

Meanwhile, Jericho tries to cleans out through burning rubble, trying to look for any survivors, Noelle keeps firing her magic to snuff out the flames, and Yuno uses [Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble-Ventilator] on all of his teammate so that they don't suffocate from the choking smoke.

Eventually, the fires die out around the village.

"MOMMA! POPS!" Magna then runs toward the burnt-down house. His bare hands dig through the coal-black rubble in desperation.

He finds _nothing_.

A deafening and _heartwrenching_ cry was heard in front of the burnt house.

"It's so awful..." Noelle breathed out. "So awful..."

The whole village, once running with life and color, now _desolated_ and _charred_ tar-black.

"This is odd..." Jericho mumbled while looking around the barren village. "There clearly was a fire, but the bodies aren't present..." He then takes out a small notebook and begins to pen his observations.

 _"First is that there seemed to a wide spread of objectives. There were three actions taken, torching, looting, and possible kidnapping. The lack of tools, furniture, food, and bodies seem to indicate that whoever did this was literally trying to wipe this village off of the map, but why burn it down? It's as if that whoever had done this was trying to send a message..."_

He then closes his notebook and finalizes his thoughts.

 _"Either it was an unorganized raid, or there's something bigger going on. But that still leaves just one question:"_

 ** _"Why would someone target such a remote village in the first place?"_**

Jericho then runs back towards where the three Magic Knights were.

"Vice-Captain." He spoke to the sobbing Magic Knight. "We should go before someone gets the wrong idea."

With one final sniff, Magna gets up from his knees and heads to his custom broom without a word.

The Black Bulls fly off into the night sky without a word.

* * *

 **Secret Dark Elf Village, Gallows Forest, Clover Kingdom (Midnight)**

* * *

"So, I've been wondering."

"Yes milord?" Claudius responds to his liege.

"Just what is [Anti-Magic]?" Prince Astaroth asked. "I mean, I get that it summons weapons that can cut through magic, but is there more to that? Like me shooting out a blast of [Anti-Magic]?"

"So you wish to know more about your powers then." Claudius then gets off of the branch that he was sitting on and lands in front of the Fallen Angel Prince. "Then very well, I shall enlighten you."

Astaroth then sits down in front of Claudius.

"[Anti-Magic] is one of the four aspects known to the humans as [Forbidden], a magic that is classified to man as evil. But in actuality, these kinds of magic can only used by the Four Princes of the Apocalypse. Not to mention, they don't run on mana, but rather, they run _against_ it."

"Wait, so am I one of them?" Astaroth asked.

"There is a reason why you're called the Demon Prince of War, milord." Claudius responded. "In fact, there are also three more just like you."

"Really?" The Prince beamed. "What are they then?"

"I know not of their names, but their titles, I do." Claudius then goes on to state them. "Aside from war, which is you milord, there are also Death, Conquest, and Famine."

"And what kind of magic do they use?" Astaroth asked.

"If I could remember correctly, Death uses [Death Magic], which is the power to erase _anything_ from existence, _material_ or _otherwise_. Conquest uses [Summon Magic], which allows the user to sacrifice a liviing being to invoke a demonic being under the user's command, and as a side note, bigger the sacrifice, the more _likely_ that the user is going to summon a rarer demonic being. Essentially, it's gambling and the only thing that matters in that magic are results. And finally, there's Famine, which uses [Mutation Magic], which allows the user to absorb anything into the user's body and gain adaptations based on what it absorbs. As for your [Anti-Magic], it only summons weapons that all of them can cut through magic."

"That's... disappointing."

"I disagree, milord." Claudius retorts. "[Anti-Magic], unlike its others, has no drawbacks, but also has no boons either."

"Meaning?"

"For context, the user of [Death Magic] is _not_ immune to its own magic, so it must be handled with the utmost of care lest that user accidentally erases itself from existence. [Summon Magic] _needs_ sacrifices in order to work, and by that, I mean it has to be somewhat _alive_. Anything else is completely useless. And the physical effects to the user of [Mutation Magic]... _it's beyond horrifying_."

"In what regard?" The Prince asked.

"You're better off not knowing until you see it for yourself, milord." Claudius then clears his throat before continuing to speak. "So simply put, [Anti-Magic] is simple and straight to the point. A perfect weapon for the perfect storm of a warrior."

The Prince just shrugs. "Eh. Guess that's what you call _'counting your blessings'_."

"Indeed it is." The Fallen Angel then looks toward the distance, seeing a flock of anti-birds coming towards their way.

The flock then lands on the village plaza. The birds then transform into their Fallen Angel forms.

And out of the wings of the Demons appeared the cloaked dark elf raiders, each with a loot in hand.

"So ladies and gentlemen." Claudius spoke to the returning raiders. "How were your very first trip to human civilization?"

"Let's just say that founder Vidar's statement was right all along." Thor spoke in an enthusiastic tone. "They went down like bitches."

"That bad?"

"Their fangs have severely dulled over the past centuries." Thor stated while the rest of the dark elves unpacked their loot.

Tools, food, clothes, and a few human corpses. More than enough to sustain a whole village.

 _"Wait wait wait, one of them is still alive!"_

 _"KILL THE BITCH THEN!"_

A bow is strung back as the woman tries to make a run for it.

The arrow hits the back of her neck and out her throat, knocking her dead.

"So..." Thor trailed off. "You wanna help us prep-cook dinner? The kids in the village haven't had this much surplus ever since a human trafficking ring was dumb enough to camp in these woods a few years back."

"Feast like kings then." Claudius responded. "In the meantime, I have the other Demons escort my Prince back to home base." The Fallen Angel then turns to Leif. "By the way, Thor."

"Yes?" The dark elf chief answered while flaying a slab of meat off of the human woman's bones.

"You mind if I make this boy your kind's ambassador?" The Demon asked. "After all, we were a little rough with him the first time we met, and the fact that he knows where we live. Seems like a fair deal, no?"

Thor then turns to the dark elf boy. "Make us proud, Leif."

"Yes chieftain!" The boy saluted.

"Then come with us." The Fallen Angels addressed to the little ambassador.

"I'll tell them that we have friends!" Astaroth then heads toward where the party was gathering. "Claudius!"

"Yes milord?"

"I hereby declare you the ambassador of the Fallen Angels of Ars Goetia!" The Prince declared as he ran toward the party. "Make us proud, ya hear!?"

"HAPPILY, YOUR HIGHNESS!" Claudius salutes as the dark elf boy and the Demons in their anti-bird forms head into the outside world, delivering the good news to the Demon brethren.

* * *

 **Black Bulls Base, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Midnight)**

* * *

"So that's what happened?" Captain Yami spoke to the returning soot-covered recruits and one catatonic Vice-Captain.

"It's all our fault that we weren't there to stop it..." Yuno breathed out.

Captain Yami then breathes out another huff of smoke. "Well, crying about it ain't gonna bring them back." He bluntly stated. "And Vice-Captain?"

"... Yeah Captain?" His voice was barely audible.

"Get some sleep. Crying about it will only make you feel worse."

The Vice-Captain goes to his quarters without a word.

"As for you three." He then turns to the recruits. "... I guess that's one way to taste on what it feels like to be a Magic Knight."

"Why?" Yuno breathed out. "Why does it have to happen when I could've been there to stop it?"

"Because you're only one man, Yuno." The Captain replies. "Don't let today's failure haunt you. Tomorrow, it'll be a chance to make things right, understood?"

"Yes Captain." The three stated.

"Good." He then walks away. "I'll write up a report to the upper brass. The reward should come by sometime tomorrow. Now go hit the sack. I got last-minute work to do."

The three recruits then head back to the upper levels of the base, right after Jericho sets down the tin pot of pork pot roast in the kitchen.

"So this is what being a Magic Knight feels like..." Noelle sighed out.

"It was rather a... _turbulent_ experience." Jericho spoke out in a trembling tone. "I just hope that the same kind of fate doesn't befall upon the others..."

"Assuming if they even give a crap in the first place." Yuno bit out. "Right now, we're the only ones who know what's really at stake."

"Truer words have never been said, Yuno." Jericho stated. "Just don't choke, understood?"

Yuno nods.

The three then hit the intersection, with Noelle heading towards the female dorms, while Yuno and Jericho heading towards the male's.

Yuno enters his room, lights a candle on his desk, looks at his unfinished letter to his foster family back at Hage Village.

The youth sits down, dips his quill into the ink bottle, and continues his draft.

After finishing writing down his thoughts to Hage, he then drafts another letter to June, who's currently a Blue Rose Knight.

 ** _To June:_**

 ** _It's been a few days since we parted ways, and I was wondering why I haven't wrote to you until now._**

 ** _In the current time that this letter was written, I've found a reason why._**

 ** _During my first mission as a Black Bulls Magic Knight with the other recruits, we managed to kill the boars running amok in Saussy Village and even the village elder invited us for dinner._**

 _ **We've got to meet a few people in our Vice-Captain's lives, shared a few rounds of ale (I did not drink, of course), and their pot roast was delicious.**_

 ** _While that was going on, our Vice-Captain's home village, Rayaka Village, was being raided and burnt to the ground._**

 ** _If we haven't stayed, we could've saved Magna's home and his family, but by the time we've arrived, the whole village was barren of life._**

 ** _The worst part is: I fear on what would've happened if we actually met the raiders. Would I've been strong enough? Would I have to watch more people die right in front of me? Would I've been able to protect my new friends?_**

 ** _I'm scared. But that's why I have to become stronger._**

 ** _Not only as a Magic Knight, but as a human being._**

 ** _I've thought I've tasted reality, but it turns out that was only the beginning._**

 ** _Now it's no longer for just my fallen brother, Asta._**

 ** _It's also for everyone that I love and cherish._**

 _ **Wish me luck and I also wish you luck in your endeavors as well.**_

 _ **\- Yuno**_

The youth then puts down his quill, seals the cap of the ink bottle shut, places the ink bottle on the corner of the finished letters, blows out the candlelight, and flops himself onto his bed.

The youth slowly closes his tired eyes as he himself drifts into a deep slumber.

* * *

 **Demon's Hideout, Clover Kingdom (Dawn)**

* * *

"We're here!" Astaroth greeted the Fallen Angels in the crevice.

"Prince Astaroth!" The other Demons greeted. "So how's the alliance?"

"We've got friends now!"

The other Fallen Angels cheered at their good news.

"So, how were you guys while we were gone?" The Prince asked.

"We've finished working on a new weapon!" The Demon stated.

"Really!?" The Prince beamed. "What is it then!?"

"Allow me." Phenex then shows up with a rod-like object with a metal tubed opening on one end and a curved and broad end on the other. Along with it was a hollowed out horn containing _black powder_ that smelled like _smoke_.

"What's that?" Astaroth asked.

The elderly-looking Fallen Angel chuckles for a bit. "Well, if I can recall correctly..."

Phenex then clears his throat for a bit before continuing to speak.

"... It's called a... _Tanegashima_? Can't say. But apparently, Lord Bael discovered it a while back when he flew towards a foreign land."

"What's that land called?" The Prince asked the Fallen Angel artisan with sparkling eyes.

" _Hanafuda_."

* * *

 **Black Bulls Base, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Morning)**

* * *

Behind Yuno's door, there was a knocking sound.

"DAYLIGHT'S BURNING, YUNO! UP AND AT EM'!"

Upon hearing the voice, Yuno gets up from his bed, rubs his eyes, heads toward the door, and opens it, revealing Vice-Captain Magna, now back to smiling.

"You alright?"

"HELL YEAH!" The Vice-Captain roared out. "If my family saw me sobbing til morning all because they died, then they'll probably beat the crap out of me for being so unmanly!"

Yuno scratches the back of his bedhead.

"Now come on! Breakfast is getting cold." The Vice-Captain gestured. "And the last thing that Charmy wants is that her food that she cooked up being neglected."

"You go on ahead, Vice-Captain." Yuno yawned out. "I'll take care of a few things."

As the Vice-Captain leaves, the youth then heads to the washroom, washes his face and brushes his teeth, goes back to his room to get dressed and to retrieve his finished letters.

He then heads downstairs, where he sees the rest of the Black Bulls, each doing their own thing.

"Mornin' kid." Captain Yami spoke to him from the dining table. "Slept like a baby?"

"Like a baby." The youth then stretches his back.

"By the way, the mission that you recruits completed got us a great boon." The Captain then tosses Yuno a bag of yuls. "200,000 yuls for completion of the mission, and due to you all _not_ neglecting Rayaka Village's state, we got a bonus of 2 stars out of it."

"Wait." Yuno asked. "What are stars?"

"Stars are like a merit-based point system that each Magic Knight squads abide by." The Captain stated. "For every mission that the squad completes flawlessly or going above and beyond to cover a bigger objective, the squad gets a star."

"So how many do we have?" Noelle asked.

"Negative 29." He then tosses the two stars towards the wall, with two golden stars erasing two black stars. "Not an even number as I like, but hell, it's better then nothing."

"I'm glad we're getting somewhere." Jericho spoke out. "So Yuno, you wanna head into Kikka tomorrow?"

The youth blinks.

"Well, it's one way to celebrate our first payday." Jericho stated. "Also, you plan to deliver those letters, right?"

"Oh." He then looks at the letters in his hands. "Yeah. I've got one for Hage and another for a friend at Blue  
Rose Knights.

"Until then." Captain Yami then huffs out another puff of smoke. "You three catch up on some sleep. You three going all night-owl last night cost me my own sleep too, dammit."

"I'll get the letters delivered first." Yuno stated.

"Speaking of which." Finral stated. "You've got letters addressed to you, Yuno."

He then hands Yuno two envelopes. One from Hage Village, the other from Juniper Hage.

He first then opens the letter from Juniper.

 **To Yuno:**

 **By the time I'm finished writing this letter, it means that I'll be heading to my very first mission as a Blue Rose Knight.**

 **I don't have much to say, but I've got a few things to say about my experiences of my first day.**

 **One, contrary to popular belief, the Blue Rose Knights aren't just composed of women. But rather, there are a few males around, but according to Sol, my senior Knight, they're just around as "errand boys".**

 **Even as a woman myself, I kinda find that practice sort of degrading.**

 **I may sometimes can't stand my brother, but he's still family, dammit.**

 **Two, the interiors are really nice, the staff managing the dorms are pretty nice, and my roommates are pretty nice as well.**

 **First is a girl named Noire E. Blanche, an Intermediate Magic Knight of Fifth Class, user of [Spatial Magic], and due to her enemies seeing her teleport constantly with her sheer speed of her magic, she's dubbed "Schrodinger's Cat", a mythical creature that is both dead and alive, and pops up in random places.**

 **She's a little clingy, but she's a nice enough person to be around. There are rumors that she has a held-out torchlight for a certain female Magic Knight in the Golden Dawn, but also mentioned that it's a little one-sided.**

 **Next is Cygnus Aurora, an Intermediate Magic Knight of Third Class, user of [Ice Magic], and dubbed the "Swan Songstress Siren", due to her impeccable singing voice, entrancing beauty, and icy exterior.**

 **But really, behind closed doors, she's painfully shy. She's always trying to avoid catching attention from other people, and she often carries around a notebook and pen, always writing down something. I tired to ask her what's she's writing, but she wouldn't budge.**

 **Then there's Lyra Echo, a Senior Magic Knight of Fifth Class, user of [Pulse Magic], and she's the oldest in my room.**

 **Not much is known about her, but rumors stated that she once tried to be a Captain of the Silver Eagles, but got kicked out after their Captain beat her and exiled her.**

 **Regardless, she's still someone that everyone in the Blue Rose Knights can trust, and rumors of her being promoted to Vice-Captain have been floating around as of late.**

 **Also, she's a killer on the harp. Get a listen sometimes.**

 **And finally, he's one of the "errand boys", but he and I talked for a bit, and he seemed nice enough, much to Sol's dismay.**

 **His name is Cole Evans, a user of [Wind Magic], and allegedly was forced to join after he accidentally exposed a woman's skirt by complete accident.**

 **Poor guy.**

 **Well, man or woman, I still consider him a Magic Knight in his own right.**

 **I'll see you soon, and wish me luck on my first mission.**

 **\- Juniper Hage**

Yuno smiles after finishing her letter.

"Man..." Finral sighed out while looking over Yuno's shoulder. "I wish I had a Blue Rose Knight write letters to me someday..."

"That itself is a death sentence, Mr. Roulacase." Jericho stated while doing push-ups on the stone floor. "Yuno, are you going to open the other letter?"

Without a word, Yuno opens the other letter, revealing _Nash's_ writing.

 **Yuno-nii,**

 **How are you doing as a Magic Knight? Are you well? What squad did you join? How was your first mission?**

 **As for me and every else back at Hage, it's been a good year.**

 **Weather was good, planting season is going really well so far, and the Village Lord even threw a party after hearing June had passed the exam.**

 **Me personally, I'm doing my best to keep training my magic and body every day.**

 **Wait for me, Yuno.**

 **I'm going to make everyone in Hage proud, so you do your own part too.**

 **\- Nash**

A single drop of tear trickles down Yuno's eye.

"Is something the matter?" Magna asked.

"It's nothing." He wiped his eye as he hastily took the letters off the table and flew to the nearest post office.

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's notes:** Oh boy, this was a brutal chapter to write out.

So yeah, this chapter is a bit of a emotional rollercoaster, and a small build-up to the Dungeon Exploration Arc.

So now, the recap:

The Black Bulls celebrate in a party hosted by the Saussy Village, while not knowing that Magna's home village was being toasted.

By the time they reach the Rayaka Village, it was completely devoid of life and structure.

Magna's character development will kickstart from there.

Yuno finishes his letters to Hage Village Orphanage and Juniper Hage.

And the Demons now figured out how to make _flintlock rifles_ and they just dug up _gunpowder_.

Oh, and the woman that was shot and flayed was _Magna's mom_.

...

Hypothetical Voices for my OCs (for funsies):

Phenex: Takashi Kondo (JPN), Jarrod Greene (ENG)

So what do you guys think of this chapter?

Leave a comment of a review, for I like to know what my audience is thinking.


	16. Saga 16: All Right Now

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 16: All Right Now**

* * *

 **Kikka Town Outskirts, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

Outside of Kikka's walls, a caravan of merchant wagons were being pulled by oxen.

And by the carts were several Blue Rose Knights escorting the merchants.

"Again, me and my men can't thank you enough for escorting us." The head merchant spoke to Juniper.

"All part of our job as Magic Knights sir." Juniper saluted.

"Even though the caravan is composed nothing but smelly men..." Sol grumbled. "Noire."

"Yes milady?" The pigtailed girl in the Blue Rose Knights robe spoke out.

"I need a refill."

Noire then jumps into the Knight's ample bosom.

"Ahhh~" Sol sighed out as she was sniffing on Noire's hair. "Girls are truly better then stinky men~"

"So that's how her hugging strength is so strong..." Juniper mumbled as she twirled her auburn hair.

Juniper then takes a look around her surroundings, noticing a few things.

Noire was still glomping Sol, Cygnus was quiet and focused, Lyra was adjusting her harpstrings, and Cole was basically the team's pack mule, as evidenced by his broom carrying numerous bags (mostly Sol's).

Poor bastard.

Juniper then looks around for her surroundings.

So far, so good.

"Now that I think about it..." Juniper mumbled. "Do they really need protection-"

Her thoughts are then cut off upon seeing a group of mages flying towards them.

"Sol!" Juniper yelled out. "Mages! 3 o'clock!"

"Alright ladies! Look alive!" Sol yelled out. She then shifts her head side to side. "Alright, where are they comin' from?"

"I said 3 o'clock, ma'am." Juniper pointed out.

Sol then turns to her left.

"That's 9 o'clock."

She then turns 90-degrees to her left.

"That's 6 o'clock."

Another 90 degree leftward turn.

"AH!" Sol exclaimed. "I SEE EM'!"

"Please don't tell me..." Juniper groaned out.

Before she can finish her sentence, Noire gags her mouth with her hand.

"Don't." The twintailed Knight stated. "Just don't."

"Regardless." Cygnus spoke out. "Methinks that the enemy mages over are about to attack, and Sol has already charging in."

"[Earth Creation Magic: Rampaging Mother Earth]!" Sol then summons a giant golem of hardened earth and dashes toward the hostile mages. "ALRIGHT LADIES! TIME TO KICK SOME ASS!" The golem swings its massive fists, but the flying mages just get out of its way with ease.

"HOLD STILL DAMMIT!" Sol's golem then picks up a large boulder and tosses it towards the mages.

"[Chain Magic: Grappling Shackles]." Two mages then wraps the flying stone with their magic chains and slings it back towards Sol.

"LIKE THAT'D EVER WORK!" Her golem then punches the rebounded boulder to rubble. Behind the rubble, the mages were gone.

"Where the hell did they go!?" Sol shifted her head in all directions.

"MA'AM! ABOVE YOU-"

"[Chain Creation Magic: Titan Cage]." Large and heavy chains then bind Sol and the golem to the dirt.

"[Water Magic: Droplet Bombardment]." Giant water drops rain upon the trapped Magic Knight, dousing her in water.

"[Lightning Magic: Berserk Discharge]." Lightning then spreads out like a net upon the soaked Sol.

The spasmastic voltage then shocks the hapless Magic Knight unconscious.

The rouge mages then turn their attention toward the others.

"Alright then." Noire then stretches her neck. "Let's go ladies."

The Blue Rose Knights then open their grimoires.

"Please protect the merchandise!" The head merchant pleaded.

The four Magic Knights then fly towards the coming rouge mages.

"Ok..." Cole mumbled while he reached out his hand towards them. "... I'll just stay here then." He pouts while sitting on the floor.

He then sniffs the air.

 _"Just what the hell is that smell?"_

Meanwhile, the Blue Rose Knights were approaching the rouges.

"[Spatial Magic: Trapdoor]!" Two separate portals appear, one above Noire's head, and the other below the unconscious Sol.

Sol drops into the portal and into Noire's arms.

"[Ice Magic: Howling Blizzard]." Cygnus then blows a massive blast of frozen air onto the rouges.

"[Water Magic: Tide Break]." The rouge mage then spouts out a massive wave of water in front of his compatriots, blocking the blizzard by freezing it into a ice in the caster's place.

"Just as I've predicted." Lyra states in a monotone voice as she opens her grimoire. "[Pulse Magic: Phonic Break]." She then strums a tune from her harp.

The wall of frozen water then shatters like glass.

"Where did they go?" Juniper stated as she sees that the rouges were not behind the wall.

"LYRA! ABOVE YOU!" Noire points upwards toward the sky.

The rouges were descending from the sky with their grimoires open.

"[Chain Creation Magic: Dead Weight Presser]." Two [Chain Magic] users summon gigantic chained weights from the above.

"[Water Magic: Drowning God's Prison]." A massive ball of water descends toward the Magic Knights.

"[Lightning Magic: Tempest Pillar]." A huge bolt of lightning speeds toward their heads.

"Hmph, sloppy." Noire huffed out.

The attacks then hit their mark.

"LYRA! NOIRE! CYGNUS! SOL! JUNIPER!" Cole yells out as he scrambles back to his feet.

"Oh relax, we're fine, you big baby." A familiar voice called out.

Cole then looks towards his rear, seeing a portal open up behind him, revealing the aforementioned Magic Knights coming out of it.

"[Spatial Magic: Safe Space]." Noire declared. "Don't assume we're dead from that attack, pack mule."

"YOU SCARED ME HALF TO DEATH!" Cole yelled out.

"Well that's because you never had any combat experience." Cygnus stated.

"AND WHO'S FAULT IS IT, HUH!?" Cole yelled out while ripping off the bag straps over his shoulders. "BECAUSE LAST TIME I CHECKED, I'M THE ONE BEING WEIGHED DOWN BY CARRYING ALL OF YOUR SHIT!"

He then opens his grimoire.

"For once, let me do something meaningful for this squad, because I am not going to spend the rest of my life with you guys cleaning up after you!"

Wind then concentrates to the palm of his hand.

"[Wind Magic: Stream Shot]!" Cole flicks his finger, sending a buckshot of wind toward the four rouges.

One of them knocks them off of their broom.

"[Lightning Magic] user is down." Cole stated. "I'll snipe from the rear, you guys get in there and kick some ass."

"Sound plan." Juniper replies. "Any complaints?"

"Allow me." Lyra states. She then opens her grimoire.

"[Pulse Magic: Flatliner]."

She then strums her harp, letting out a shrill note that fills the air.

The remaining three rouge mages go numb and keel off of their brooms.

"Cygnus." Lyra spoke out. "Our finisher."

"Yes, let's." Cygnus opens her grimoire.

"Behold..." Lyra utters out.

"... Our power!" Cygnus cries out.

 **"[Ice & Pulse Compound Magic: Swan Song]!"**

The falling mages are encased in a block of ice by Cygnus's aria.

With one last strum from Lyra's harp, the glacier shatters along with the mages encased in it.

"And that's that." Cygnus dusted off her hands.

"Umm... Miss Aurora?" Juniper points upward.

The remainder blocks of ice then falls from the air and onto the wagons, breaking a part of the main cart, spilling its goods...

... And a _human leg_.

"YOU IDIOTS!" The head merchant cried out. "I TOLD YOU TO PROTECT MY MERCHANDISE! NOT DESTROY-"

"Hey..." Cole spoke out, pointing toward the leg. "Is that a _person_!?"

"I-I-I-I assure you!" The head merchant stuttered out while he was blocking the male Magic Knight's view. "I-It's nothing! Really!"

"Bullshit." Juniper stated. "You're _all_ hiding something, aren't you?"

Meanwhile, Sol slowly wakes up.

"Uhh?" The Knight mumbled. "... Did I miss somethin'?"

"Well, we fended off a group of errant mages that were trying to raid the caravan, but methinks that we might've stumbled into something a little bigger." Noire stated.

"What do you mean by that, huh?" Sol moaned out.

"I don't think these merchants are just _ordinary merchants_."

"Move aside." Cole then shoves the boss aside and digs through the rubbish, revealing an unconscious _nude woman_ with a black metal collar around her neck.

Cole then sniffs the air, the putrid air begin stronger in his nose.

"Someone help me out!" Cole stated.

Without a word, Juniper rushes to his side.

With that in mind, the two then dig through the planks, uncovering more collared women.

The more they dig, the more the putrid becomes the stench.

The stench of _piss_ and _feces_.

"Shit..." Cole uttered. "What the hell is going on here!?"

"The fact that now you all now know too much." The boss spoke out from behind.

At that moment, all other merchants jump up from their carts and open their grimoires.

"What the hell's going on here!?" Sol cried out upon seeing their clients turn on them.

"I think we uncovered a _human trafficking_ ring and now they're going to try to kill us." Noire stated while she opens her grimoire.

"Shit..." Sol cursed. "Those guys back there did me in real good..." She grunted in pain.

"I have to say." The boss stated to the male Blue Rose Knight. "For a pack mule, you're quite observant, aren't you?"

"No." Cole answered. "I just have a really weird luck running into things that I don't want to find out about."

"But how did you pick up the scent of the women I wonder?" The boss rubs his chin. "Pah who cares. There's thirty of us and only half of you lot are in any condition to resist."

The boss then turns toward his underlings. "Alright! Kill the pack mule, but I want the women alive!"

Before the traffickers can charge in, the remaining brigand mage, the [Lightning Magic] user, jumps out behind the wagon, with its grimoire open.

"[Lightning Magic: Thunder Lash]." A whip of electricity then lashes toward the boss and the two Knights.

"LOOK OUT!" Cole then knocks Juniper away from the thunderbolt, striking him and the boss in her stead.

"COLE!" Juniper cried out.

The brigand mage then continues to attack. "[Lighting Magic: Berserk Discharge]."

Masses of thunderbolts dance out of the brigand, shocking the rest of the traffickers indiscriminately.

"Wait..." Juniper realized. "What about the-"

"Already got em'." Besides Noire, the captured women were transported to her one at a time. "[Spatial Magic: Intervention]." She then turns toward the [Lightning Magic] user. "[Spatial Binding Magic: Lock & Key]." The brigand is then trapped in a translucent cube.

"Thank you, Miss Blanche!" Juniper spoke out.

"No prob." She replied. "Go nuts, new kid."

"RIGHT!" Juniper then opens her grimoire. "[Leaf Magic: Cultivation]!"

"You think..." The boss coughed out. "A few leaves will take us out!?" He then slings his arm around Cole's neck. "One wrong move, and your little pack mule dies."

"Trust me." Juniper sneered. "I don't need to move."

The boss then feels something underneath his clothes.

"What the hell!?" The boss cried out. "Why-WHY DOES IT FEELS S-SO ITCHY!?"

The boss releases Cole, and flails around the ground while scratching all over himself.

Along with every other trafficker, who are also scratching themselves like dogs infested with ticks, fleas, and lice.

"If you've just let me finish, then I would've of told you." Juniper stated.

"THEN WHAT THE HELL IS IT!?" The boss yells out.

"[Poison Ivy]."

The traffickers then start screeching and clawing as their skin starts to form red patches as they roll around the dirt.

"GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"

"Only if you and your little ring come with us, quietly."

Meanwhile, Sol herself was stomping on one of the trafficker's balls.

"I'll apprehend them." Cygnus then opens her grimoire. "[Ice Binding Magic: Ugly Duckling's Nest]."

The thirty traffickers are sucked into the vacuum of cold air, which then forms into a basket of ice containing the now restrained traffickers.

"Aw c'mon!" Sol cried out. "I wasn't done with the bastard!"

"Leave the rest to the officials, Miss Marron." Noire replied. "As for you Cole." She then approaches the male Magic Knight.

"Yes?" The young man turns around.

"For a pack mule, you didn't do too badly." She huffed.

"Like I said." He responded. "Let me do something meaningful for this squad other then clean up after you guys. Not all men are perverts and scum as you perceive to be."

"Come on." Cygnus spoke to Noire. "The basket ain't going to carry itself to the officials."

"Right, of course." Noire opens her grimoire. "[Spatial Magic: Message in a Bottle]."

A magical bottle encases the basket, shrinking to a size that she can fit into her hand.

"Send: Wizard King's office. Message: 'Merchant caravan that the Blue Roses were assigned to escort turned out to be a part of a human trafficking ring. Rescued kidnapped women found under cart floorboards. Apprehend them immediately'."

The bottle engraved with the message on it and the traffickers inside it disappears from her hand.

"Now then." She then turns to her [Lock & Key]. "What to do with-"

Before Noire can finish, the [Lightning Magic] user then _disintegrates_ to dust, right down to the clothes that the brigand was wearing.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Juniper cried out. "DID THE BANDIT JUST DISINTEGRATE!?"

The Blue Rose Knights stand in shock.

"Now that I think about it..." Cygnus uttered. "The bandits weren't found after [Swan Song]. I mean, the combination spell is powerful, but not strong enough to cause cryonic failure."

"Whatever it was." Lyra spoke while adjusting her harpstings. "The fact that it doesn't change the fact that we've fulfilled our objective as Magic Knights."

"So all's that ends well, ends well?" Juniper stated.

"I guess." Cole spoke out. "So anyone know how to wake them up?"

"I got it." Juniper then opens her grimoire. "[Leaf Recovery Magic: Aromatherapy-Peppermint]."

A sharp yet refreshing scent fills the air, rousing everyone up from their tired state.

 _Except_ for the freed women.

"What the..." Cole then approaches the women.

"HEY! HEY! HEY!" Sol yelled out. "JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKIN' OF DOIN'!?"

"THE COLLARS!" Cole yelled back. "THEY'RE BLOCKING OUT ALL MANA PASSING THROUGH IT!"

"So that's why..." Juniper then shuts off her magic. "Cole, how strong are you?"

"Built up a few pounds of muscle during my years carrying around the other Knights's stuff. Why?"

"We're removing them by hand." Juniper replied. She then grabs onto the collars and tries to pull them apart.

Cole then approaches Juniper. "I'll grab one end, you grab the other."

"Got it!" Juniper then moves to the left side of the women.

"Ready? Now pull!" The two then tug on the collar apart.

With a sharp *pang* sound, the collar comes off of the woman's neck.

The woman slowly wakes up.

"Hmm... where am I-"

She then looks down to find herself nude, on which she then tries to cover herself.

Cole then rips off a tarp from one of the wagons and tosses it to the awakened woman.

"So." Cole then turns to the other Knights. "Who's up for physical labor?"

* * *

 **Unknown Location, Diamond Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

 _"Milord. Prototype Units #62 to #66 have been disposed of."_

 _"Hmph. They've held out longer than I've expected."_

 _"Well, they were once part of the Diamond Kingdom's elite guards."_

 _"Whom all of them I've disposed of personally and turned the rest to test subjects."_

 _"Yes, milord. Permission to send the Early Production Units #1 to #5 out for field testing?"_

 _"Negative. Wait until the commotion dies down. In the meantime, get mass-production of the General-Purpose Units #1 to #50 started."_

 _"Understood milord."_

* * *

 **Blue Rose Knights Base, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Evening)**

* * *

"So let me get this straight." Captain Charlotte spoke in a stern tone. "The merchant caravan that you five were escorting were attacked by four rouge mages, Sol went in and got incapacitated from her recklessness, Cole discovers that the same merchant caravan that you were guiding happened to be slavers, Cygnus and Lyra apprehends the slavers while Juniper and Cole rescues the captured women, and after Noire delivers the slavers to the Wizard King directly in bottle, out of all things, find that the brigand mages all but _disappeared_ after being defeated."

"Not disappeared, Captain." Juniper stated. " _Disintegrated_ , as in, the bandit turned to dust, on his own."

Captain Charlotte then slumps on her seat.

"Sorry big sis..." Sol grumbled out.

"Like I told you several times, call me 'Captain'." Captain Charlotte scolded.

"Sorry sis..." Sol spoke out.

"I guess there's no cure for your stupidity, Miss Marron." Cole snarked.

"YOU WANNA GO, YOU SON OF A BITCH!?" Sol the picks up the male Magic Knight by his collar. "JUST WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING STUPID, HUH!?"

"Then tell me, Sol." Cole spoke out. "What's my name?"

Sol then winds back her fist and flings it towards his face, striking his face.

"I don't even bother with disgusting men like you." Sol then drops Cole onto the floor.

"And no one likes a uncouth person, whether man or woman." Cole spoke through his bleeding nose.

"WHY YOU-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Captain Charlotte then opens her grimoire. "[Thorn Binding Magic: Snaring Brambles]!"

Both Cole and Sol were dangled up in the air, upside-down by their ankles.

"Listen up you two." The Captain snarled. "I've just had it with the two of you making a ruckus around here!"

"But sis..." Sol stuttered out. "Why you're blaming me for it?"

"If it makes you feel any better." Cole spoke to Sol. "I'm about to receive the same amount of ass-whooping as you are."

Sol then flails from her snares.

"Sol. Cole." The Captain glares at both Sol and Cole. "You left me with no choice."

"PLEASE TELL ME-" Sol panicked.

Then tears start streaming from her eyes.

"PLEASE DON'T KICK ME OUT OF THE SQUAD-"

"[Thorn Creation Magic: Tough Love Cuffs]!"

A pair of manacles bound to Sol's right wrist and Cole's left wrist.

"Sol." Charlotte glares at the trembling Magic Knight. "Out of all the Knights in the Blue Roses, you were the most problematic in terms of overall behavior."

"What do mean, sis!?" Sol stuttered out. "I-I've done nothing wrong!"

Meanwhile, Cole just rolls his eyes, as he's resigned to this position long ago.

"Your rampant and immature hatred of men, while _understandable_ , it also has been promoting more of your... unacceptable behavior." The Captain sighed out. "You always charge in headfirst without regard to your other teammates, you tend to bully the male members of this squad more than the others, and every time I try and correct you, you insist on calling me 'sis', not 'Captain', while we're on the job."

"AND WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT!?" Sol cried out.

"I'll put it in a way that you might understand." Captain Charlotte then clears her throat. "Sol, your actions and behavior up to this point have made clear that you're no better then the 'filthy men' that you despise."

Upon hearing those words, all color on Sol's face _fades_ to white.

"As for you, Cole." The Captain then turns to Cole. "Out of all the male members here, you were the most prone to speaking out against your superiors."

"Captain, permission to rebuke?" Cole stated.

"Make it quick."

"Thank you." Cole then clears his throat. "I'm an advocate for gender equality."

"And does that excuse your behavior?" The Captain retorts.

"No, but at least I'm telling you on how I preserved my sense of dignity over the past three years in this squad." Cole bites out.

"Elaborate." The Captain stated.

"Well here it goes." Cole sighed out. "Twelve years prior joining this squad, I was just some slum rat crawling around in this stinking town who had a father that left the family, a mother who slowly fell into alcoholism and debt, and an older sister who died from my mother's drunken beatings."

"My god..." Juniper muttered out.

"I was ten when the old hag died of disease, and I was left to fend for myself." Cole continued. "I took up various odd jobs, banditry, mugging, whatever it took for me to survive in this filthy world. Then during one day, I was walking around town, heading to the chapel in the middle of the town for a confession before I turn myself in to the authorities, but then, I saw a child falling from the roof. With my [Wind Magic: Updraft], I managed to catch him before he could really hurt himself."

Cole then snickers out slightly.

"Little did I know that a Noblewoman was nearby, and I accidentally flipped up her skirt." Cole sneered out. "So of course, me, a commoner street rat that tried to save another commoner boy, and _her_."

His thumb points toward _Sol_.

"A girl from a Noble family and a Magic Knight to boot." He laughed out. "I was _lucky_ that I ended up in indentured servitude in this squad."

"So why didn't you leave?" Captain Charlotte asked.

"What can I say?" Cole answered. "It beats prison. And even though I were to walk free, there are other people that I've pissed off in the past and they _really_ want my head."

"Like I said, I do whatever it takes to survive." Cole answered. "And if it means to take crap from the same woman who got me into this mess in the first place, then yeah, I'll live as long as I live."

"WAIT!?" Sol cried out. "THAT WAS YOU!?"

"What can I say?" Cole spat out. "I just have a really weird luck running into things that I don't want to find out about. And yet, here we are. eye to eye, and you none the wiser."

"YOU'RE CALLING ME AN IDIOT AGAIN!?" Sol then flails her arms toward Cole's direction.

"PLEASE STOP IT!" Juniper cried out.

The whole office goes into shocked silence at Juniper's outburst.

"Miss Marron. Mister Evans." Juniper spoke out. "If you keep holding onto your grudges, then you not only fail as Magic Knights, but as people as well." Then tears start coming out of her eyes.

"I do not care if you're a Magic Knight or an ex-crook." She teared out. "All people live. And living is more then surviving!"

The whole office goes silent again.

"Just what do you know..." Sole muttered under breath. "JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME!?"

"SOL!" The Captain yelled out. "I'm imposing a gag order."

The briers then wrap around Sol's mouth, gagging her.

"Both of you are remaining bound together until further notice, understood?"

"Yes ma'am." Cole stated as he and Sol were slowly let down from the ceiling.

During the who conversation, Cygnus fainted on her feet, Lyra was wearing a blank expression on her face, and Noire was pinching her temples upon seeing the mess.

"Sol and Cole will be denied of their reward due to their misbehavior, and the rest of you will have you payments cut by 20%. Acceptable?"

The four Knights nod.

"Dismissed."

The four Magic Knights with the other two bound together, with one crying, and the other looking dead inside.

* * *

 **Demon's Base, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

*BANG*

The shot from the Tanegashima cracks the stone in front of its barrel.

"Well milord." Phenex asked. "How is it?"

"Dunno." Astaroth surmised. "I mean, sure. It packs a mean punch, the range is really good, but it feels... kinda _unwieldy_ for me."

"Yeah, I can see that." Leif remarked. "The trajectory ain't a straight line."

Astaroth then looks at the dented rock.

The mark was on the rockface's upper-left, not the dead center that he was aiming for.

"Prince Astaroth." Leif asked. "Can I give that weapon a go?"

"I dunno." Astaroth muses. "You know how to aim with it?"

"Worth a shot." Leif then takes the Tanegashima from Astaroth.

The dark elf boy first adds the black powder into the chamber, loads a lead ball into the muzzle, pulls back the flint and steel hammer, points the barrel toward the rock, steadies his posture and breathing, right before he pulls the trigger.

*BANG*

Dead center.

Leif turns around and gives the Demons a v-sign.

"Hey Phenex." Astaroth spoke to the elderly Fallen Angel next to him. "Can you let him have the... the..."

"... The Tanegashima, milord?" Phenex replied.

"Well, I don't see myself using that anytime soon." The Prince stated. "I'm more of a hands-on kind of guy."

"Hohoho." The Demon chuckles. "If the Princes says, then the Prince commands!" He then turns to Leif. "Take good care of it, you hear?"

"Permission to name it, Prince Astaroth?" Leif's eyes glittered.

"It's yours, so why the hell not?" The Prince answered.

"Then I'll name this weapon _'Dáinsleif'_!" Leif proclaimed as he raised his named Tanegashima into the air.

* * *

 **Hage Village, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Evening)**

* * *

"Hey everyone!" Nash bursts through the chapel door with an envelope in hand.

"Nash-nii!" Recca, Aruru, and Hollo rush to their current oldest sibling.

"Is that?"

"Yep!" Nash nodded. "A letter from Yuno-nii!"

"Yay!" The kids cried out.

"Oh my." Sister Lily appears from the rear rooms. "What do we have here?"

"Sister!" The kids cried out as they rushed to her side.

"Yuno-nii sent us a letter!"

"Here! Look!" Nash then shoves the envelope to Sister's face.

"Alright! Alright!" She then snatches the letter, opens the seal, and she begins to read it.

 **To everyone back in Hage,**

 **I finally became a Magic Knight after passing the exams, and the squad that I've joined was the Black Bulls.**

 **I could've easily joined the Golden Dawn, but if I did that, I would lose Asta and myself from all the glitz and gold.**

 **So upon joining the squad, I've got to meet lots of new people.**

 **First was Captain Yami Sukehiro, a foreigner from the East who ended up in the Clover Kingdom that worked his way up to being Captain after the Clover-Diamond War.**

 **He's a little rough around the edges, but compared to the nobles, he's at least honest compared to them.**

 **Then there's Vice-Captain Magna Swing. Like Captain Yami, he's also a bit of a roughneck himself, but the guy has a heart of gold and a sense of honor like no other.**

 **Next is Finral Roulacase. A self-proclaimed ladies man, but in all honesty, he's hopeless.**

 **With that said, he's still my senior and overall, I don't think he's like the typical noble.**

 **Then there's Vanessa Enoteca. She's a witch from the Witch's Forest, and despite holding onto the neck of a wine bottle every time I see her, she's a kind enough person to be around.**

 **I'll wait until I'm 21 until I accept her drinks, don't worry.**

 **Then there's Luck Voltia. He's a few years older than me, despite looking a lot younger than me.**

 **With that said, I'm a little terrified of him, for he's honestly the most bloodthirstiest person that I've ever met.**

 **I'll wait until I get a little stronger until I can talk to him eye to eye.**

 **Or at least, strong enough to not have my head separated from my neck.**

 **Then there's Charmy Pappitson, the self-proclaimed gourmet of the Clover Kingdom.**

 **She's a really nice person, cooks for the whole squad with her magic, and all in all, a really sweet person.**

 **Oh, and she eats enough food to make even the most well-fed of Royalty puke.**

 **Then there's Gauche Adlai.**

 **Unlike Vice-Captain, who only looks like a thug, this person was once one. But it turned out to be that he had to provide for his younger sister before he became a Magic Knight, so while I can sympathize with him, it doesn't change the fact that I've unwittingly signed up to put my life before his sister's against my will.**

 **God help me if I get on his bad side.**

 **Then there's Grey.**

 **He's the kind of guy who just stands in the corner and rarely speaks, but he's a nice enough person.**

 **Then there's Gordon Agrippa.**

 **He only looks terrifying, but he's a genuinely nice person and he's a good friend to my new friend that I've met during the exams.**

 **And finally, there's Jericho Platina, the guy I've met during the exam, and an ex-royalty.**

 **The guy's the human embodiment of chivalry and aspires to be a diplomat for the Clover Kingdom so that he may end the hostile relations between Clover and Diamond Kingdoms.**

 **Also, he's built like a castle. He's ripped.**

 **And he's not afraid to throw a punch to anyone that harms a woman, or insults his mullet.**

 **Oh, I forgot to mention Noelle Silva.**

 **She's a noble that I've faced during the exams, and also joined the same squad that I've joined, but I get a feeling that she didn't have a choice in the matter.**

 **She's a little insensitive, but she also has a lot of problems that she's bottled up inside her.**

 **Me beating her twice didn't help matters. I just hope that I can help her out in the end.**

 **Well, that's all I have to say about my new life.**

 **I wish you guys all my luck.**

 **\- Yuno**

 **P.S.: I just finished my first mission with the Black Bulls.**

 **Here's half of my pay for the well that we planned back a year back.**

The orphans look at the sack with the yuls inside.

"SORRY IF I'M LATE!" Father Orsi burst out of the door, ruining the moment. "Eh? Is that a letter from Yuno?"

"Yes." Sister Lily nodded.

"WELL, HOW IS MY BOY!?"

Sister Lily smiles. "He's in good hands."

* * *

 **Kikka Town, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Morning)**

* * *

Yuno, Noelle, Jericho, and Vanessa were walking in the bustling marketplace of Kikka Town.

"Here we are!" Vanessa, now dressed in clothing, states. "Welcome to Kikka Town!"

Around the Magic Knights were civilian and Magic Knights alike that were shopping in the stalls for food, gifts, or magic tools.

Yuno catches eye on Magna heading into one of the bigger magic shops with the sign "Flying Witch" with Crazy Cyclone in hand, Finral was flirting with women passing by him, with _varying_ results, Gauche was flying on his broom with bags gifts and toys hanging from it.

A drop of blood drips onto Noelle's robe.

"Gross..." She then tries to wipe the blood off with her handkerchief.

Yuno then spots Grey transforming into a petite blue-haired woman, sneaking herself into a shop. Gordon himself went inside of a tea shop to buy more tea leaves. Then there's Charmy, eating what it seems to be an _amalgamation_ of bread, tomatoes, cheese, pasta, beef steak, rice, shrimp, hamburger steak, salmon, and more cheese on top.

It was like watching a _slaughter_. So terrifying, yet impossible to look away from.

"So!" Vanessa spoke out. "What do you guys want to buy today?"

"I think I need a field kit, extra pairs of leather gloves, a utility knife, a pair of tinted-lenses goggles, and other things that would prove to be useful on the next mission." Jericho stated.

"I need something that would help me control my magic." Noelle stated.

"I need something that can record images and a few Moguro leaves for potions." Yuno stated.

"Tools are that way, Moguro leaves are in the tea shop, and as for you Noelle, wait for those two before we get started." Vanessa states.

Noelle nods as Yuno and Jericho make their way to their respective locations.

Meanwhile at Flying Witch, Magna was in a factory-looking warehouse where brooms were being custom-made by commissioned artisans and craftsman.

One of the commission craftswomen, a woman with dirty blue overalls and a dusty white shirt under it, and a red bandanna wrapped her head with a few strands of lavender hair jutting out underneath, approaches to the Magic Knight.

"Hey sis." Magna spoke to the craftswoman.

She then smacks Magna in the face. "I thought I told you already, I ain't coming back to Rayaka-"

"RAYAKA VILLAGE IS DEAD!" Magna yelled out to her sister.

"... What?" The woman whispered out.

"Everyone..." Magna bit out. "Everyone's gone... The whole village was burnt to the ground..."

The woman sighs out, not knowing what to do with this recent turmoil.

"Hey Angra!" The foreman from the distance yelled out. "Another commission for you!"

Angra sighs out. "... Wait here for a bit, okay Magna?"

Magna slumps on his Crazy Cyclone that he brought with him.

Outside, Yuno and Jericho return to Noelle and Vanessa with bags in hand.

"Alright!" Vanessa claps her hands. "Now shall we head to Noelle's destination?"

The two youths nod as the four make their way.

On their way, Yuno overhears a few people gossiping about them.

 _"Hey..."_

 _"Aren't they the Black Bulls?"_

 _"Ugh, they look so mismatched..."_

 _"Get away, get away from them..."_

 _"Kind of a shame that they have fine-looking girls with equally fine-looking men..."_

 _"That's what you expect from the Clover Kingdom's worst squad..."_

"Ignore them." Jericho states.

"I've heard nothing." Yuno states.

"Keep it that way."

The four then stop in front of a brick wall.

"We're here!"

"Um, Vanessa." Yuno speaks out. "That's a wall."

She then goes _through_ the wall like if it wasn't there.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Vanessa stuck her head out through the "wall". "Come inside!"

The rest of the Black Bulls follow the witch.

Yuno, Jericho, and Noelle then find themselves in an alleyway with stalls and other vendors.

"Welcome to the Black Market!" Vanessa addressed the group in this dark, yet lively alleyway. "In here, you'll find the kind of items that the normal stores won't sell. The items that they sell here are a little _temperamental_ , but nonetheless, they're pretty powerful."

"Yo Vanessa!" One of the underground vendors spoke out. "I've got new items smuggled straight from the Spade Kingdom in my inventory! Stop by later, ya hear?"

"Yeah! I'll have a look later!" Vanessa waved to the elderly vendor.

She then turns toward the other Black Bulls. "So you guys want to take a look around?"

"I try anything new, provided if we don't run into any sort of trouble." Jericho shrugged.

Yuno just nods.

"Come with me, Noelle." Vanessa then grabs the silver-haired girl's wrist. "Don't get lost, you hear?"

"I know! I know!" She struggled to keep up with her.

The two male Black Bulls are now left to themselves.

"Holler if you run into trouble, you hear?" Jericho stated.

"Yeah." Yuno then walks towards the alleyway while Jericho takes the same direction where Noelle and Vanessa went.

As Yuno walks by the alleyway, he then sees a familiar-looking person accompanied by one male and one female, handcuffed together.

"June!" Yuno runs toward the girl.

"Oh?" She then turns around to see a close friend. "Yuno! It's been a while!"

"I guess." He then looks at the handcuffed duo.

Upon closer inspection, the cuffs seemed to be made of thorns, with small cuts and pricks around their wrists.

"So, who are they?" Yuno asked.

"Fellow Blue Rose Knights. Got into trouble after one of them punched the other in the nose while the other heckled her to no end." Juniper gestured toward the downtrodden duo. "Apparently, we're here to gather information for our next mission. Also, I'm their babysitter."

"So soon?" Yuno spoke.

"Guess that's being a Magic Knight for ya." Juniper sighed out. "Also, I've got your letter, but I never had the chance to read it."

"I've read yours." Yuno stated. "You seem like you're in good hands."

"Heh. You're not wrong." Juniper then sees the handcuffed duo kicking each other's shins.

While that happens, the thorny cuffs around their wrists begins to _tighten_ , digging the briers into their skin and bone, causing them to stop upon registering the pain.

"... I'll see you soon." Juniper then takes the two Magic Knights towards elsewhere.

"DAMMIT! NOT AGAIN!"

Yuno then hears a familiar voice. He then turns his attention upon a small table occupied by a Green Mantis Magic Knight and an old lady holding cards with a huge sack of yuls next to her.

"Hohoho. I have the ability to see the future." The elderly woman boasted.

"I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS LATER!" The running man then bumps into Yuno.

"HEY ASS-" The man stops himself upon seeing Yuno's face.

"Oh... it's you, bah-ha." The Magic Knight trembled.

"Wait." Yuno paused. "What's you name again?"

"IT'S SEKKE! BAH-HA!" Sekke yelled out in frustration.

"Oh sorry." Yuno stated. "You were the one who puked in your own marble."

"BAH-HA!?" Sekke exclaimed in a dumbfounded tone. Before he can say anything, his eyes turn toward the two female Magic Knights.

Noelle and Vanessa.

Sekke then _dashes_ toward the two like a bolt of lightning.

"Hello fair maidens!" Sekke greeted towards the two. "Just what fair maidens like you two doing here in such a place like this? Why, I shall be the one to escort you two out of her-"

A _kick_ lands right between Sekke's legs, _again_.

"BAH-HA!?" Sekke gasps out. "Not my bah-halls again..."

"Sorry about that." Juniper then shows up behind the two Black Bulls. "Looked like that guy was bothering you two."

"Thanks." Vanessa stated.

"Yeah. Thanks..." Noelle meekly spoke out.

"Fancy running into you two again." Jericho then shows up behind Yuno and Juniper.

"Wow! Small world, ain't it?" Juniper exclaimed.

"To be fair, the Black Market is rather cramped." Jericho stated. "Oh, by the way. I've heard words of a purse snatcher flying around here-"

"NO! MY WINNINGS!" An elderly voice cried out.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Bandit's Wind Cloud]!" A man flying on a cloud with a bag of yuls in hand soars by the group of Magic Knights.

The snatcher then tries to take what Jericho was holding onto, but the bandit instead gets _clotheslined_ off of his flying cloud by Jericho's bulk, sending the bag of yuls flying off of his arms, scattering gold everywhere.

By complete _accident_ , mind you.

"Found him." Jericho looked down at the fallen purse snatcher. "Oh, and here." He then hands a package to Noelle.

"What is it?" Noelle stated while she was unwrapping the package.

Revealed in the wrappings was a silver wand with a eagle motif on it.

"Apparently, the residents in the Spade Kingdom are liberal in their use of conduits other than grimoires." Jericho stated. "That one, I had to haggle for it and managed to get it for 45% of its original price-"

The bandit then wakes up, snatches Noelle's wand from her hands, and makes a run for it with his [Bandit's Wind Cloud].

"Bah-ha! Fear not!" Sekke suddenly springs up back to his feet. "I shall retrieve it for you!" He then opens his grimoire. "[Bronze Creation Magic: Sekke Shooting Star]!"

"OH GOD!" Noelle averts her gaze as Vanessa gives a thumbs-down to his tacky vehicle.

"Allow me to assist." Jericho then opens his grimoire. "[Platinum Creation Magic: Highway Star]!"

A _hog motorcycle_ made of bright platinum is mounted by Jericho.

"Ripoff!" Sekke then speeds off in his vehicle.

Jericho then takes off with his own, surpassing Sekke in a matter of moments.

"NO FAIR!" Sekke shouted out. "WHY'S EVERYONE KEEP SHITTING ON ME TODAY!?"

Jericho then passes the bandit, cutting him off.

The bandit then goes up into the air, only to be met by _Yuno_.

"[Wind Magic: Towering Tornado]." The bandit is then sent flying off of his cloud and lands in front of Jericho.

The snatcher then tries to pull out his dagger, but the Black Bull kicks it out of his hands before restraining him.

The eagle wand then drops onto the floor.

"Wait a minute!" Sekke declared loudly. "I was the one who was supposed to catch the purse snatcher!"

The snatcher then tries to get away, but Jericho stomps on his calf's back, pinning the poor bastard down with his own weight.

"And besides." Sekke's voice then begins to soften. "If Captain Jack finds out that the other squad caught the bandit, he's probably going to make mincemeat of me..."

Jericho rolls his eyes as he then hands the downed bandit to the pitiful Magic Knight. "I hope this will make you feel better... or at least not tempt you to commit suicide by Magic Knight Captain..."

"Bah-ha!" Sekke's attitude then goes 180 as he places the captured brigand. "Well why thank you for your cooperation!"

The four Black Bulls and the three Blue Roses watch with a collective blank expressions on their faces as the Green Mantis rides off with his objective.

"In hindsight, I pity him." Jericho surmised.

"For me, he's too pitiful to be pitiable." Noelle addressed.

"I'm surprised that he's even trying." Vanessa pointed out.

"Seriously Sol, if you're going to punch someone in the face-owowowowowowow-" Cole stops as the cuff around his wrist begins to dig into his flesh and bone.

Yuno meanwhile, just remains indifferent to all of this.

"You gonna say anything?" Juniper spoke to Yuno.

"Sorry. Can't think of any."

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** This is meant to be a filler chapter and a beginning of an original subplot B.

In short, the original arc will be planned as Juniper's own story. This original story arc will focus on expanding the characterization of the Blue Rose Knights and make them slightly more relevant (Original Characters, canon personality expansions, and whatnot).

I dunno, just a thought that I had floating around.

But all of that and more will come after the Dungeon Exploration Arc.

But still, this chapter was another brutal one to write. Can't wait for the Dungeon Exploration Arc.

So, the recap;

Juniper's first mission as a Blue Rose is successful, at the cost of unearthing a few unsavory things from both sides.

The Diamond Kingdom is experimenting with new "Units".

Captain Charlotte now has enough of Sol's crap and reprimands her... by handcuffing her to another guy.

Astaroth gifts the prototype matchlock rifle to Leif, the new ambassador of the Dark Elves, who than dubs it _"Dáinsleif"_.

Hage Orphanage gets a letter from Yuno.

Kikka happens, with Magna meeting up with his runaway older sister to tell her the grim news of her birth village and family.

Noelle gets a different wand _early_ , courtesy of Jericho.

... And everyone else is acting the same as usual.

Hypothetical Voices (for funsies):

Cole Evans: Ryota Ohsaka (JPN), Matthew Mercer (ENG)

Noire E. Blanche: Satomi Arai (JPN), Lisa Oritz (ENG)

Cygnus Aurora: Hiromi Igarashi (JPN), Alison Viktorin (ENG)

Lyra Echo: Ai Kakuma (JPN), Maxey Whitehead (ENG)

Angra Swing: Akeno Watanabe (JPN), Rachel Glass (ENG)

So what do you guys think of this chapter?

Leave a review or comment, for I'd like to know what my audiences are thinking.


	17. Saga 17: Bad Company Part 1

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 17: Bad Company Part 1**

* * *

 **Kikka Town, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Evening)**

* * *

"So all that shit happened underneath all of your notice..." Angra muttered under her breath while slumping on her seat.

The last two remaining members of the Swing Family were now sitting at a table in front of a bistro. In front of the two siblings were a pair of cups of coffee, barely touched by either.

"Heh..." Magna dejectedly snorted. "... Guess that was really unmanly of me, huh?"

"Magna." Angra then clasps Magna's cheeks with her hands, forcing his view towards his older sister's face. "Look at my face and tell me, am I ashamed of you?"

The roguish-looking Magic Knight was loss of words.

"Well here's the answer." Angra stated firmly. "Bullshit."

"Huh?" Magna mumbled.

"Listen Magna." Angra spoke out firmly. "I never told you the reason why I left Rayaka Village in the first place." She then lets go of Magna's face.

"Now that I think about it..." Magna then recalls his older sister walking out of the village gates when he was only a few years old.

"I left because the village smith recommended me to his friends at Kikka." She stated. "And being a country mouse wanting more in her life, not just for her, but also to make her family proud at the age of seven, how can I say no to that?"

Angra snorts out a huff with a look of sorrow in her eyes.

"... I guess I suck as your elder sibling for not telling you, aren't I?" She asks. "Putting myself over my baby brother, and for an extra kick to the ball, never was a part of your life, even after you started to walk around your own..."

"Sis..." Magna sniffed out.

"Oh fuck your tears, dude." Angra spoke out. "This failure of a human being doesn't deserve it-"

Before she can finish her sentence, Magna jumps off of his seat, and slaps her in the face.

"Don't say it's only your fault, dammit..." Magna's eyes then tear out behind his shades. "Hell... I'm no different from you during that night."

"Don't tell me." Angra speaks while rubbing her swollen cheek.

"I SHOULDN'T HAVE STAYED THAT NIGHT!" Magna yelled out. "IT'S ALL MY FAULT THAT MY NEGLIGENCE THAT MY HOME WAS BURNT DOWN, AND MOMMA AND POPS ARE DEAD BECAUSE I WASN'T THERE!"

Magna then hits his head onto the table's surface, wailing out whatever grief he has left in his pained heart.

"Mag-no. Baby bro." Angra taps Magna's shoulder.

The younger brother raises his face, now covered in tears and snot alike.

Angra then opens her arms. "A table's no place to cry upon." She smiled. "Let me the thing that I should've done 15 years ago."

Magna then jumps to his sister's arms as the older sister embraces her troubled brother.

"I'M SORRY THAT I FAILED TO PROTECT MY FAMILY BACK HOME!" His voice muffled through her bosom.

"There there." Angra rubs Magna's head.

Tears then stream from her eyes as well. "Oh goddammit Magna, you're making me cry too..." She whimpers out as she wipes her tears.

The two went on to let out their love, their pain, and of their sorrow.

Once the two break off, the two then take their now-cold cups of coffee, and downs the whole drink in on gulp.

"Well, it's getting late." Angra speaks as she looks toward the darkening sky.

"Yeah." Magna half-sniffed out, cleaning out the residual tears he had left in his eyelids. "Better go before the newbies come looking for me. After all, as Vice-Captain, gotta set a good example to them."

Angra snorts at his remark.

"I JUST GOT PROMOTED, ALRIGHT!?" Magna spoke out to his sister.

"Yeah, sure." Angra then leaves 500 yuls in a tip jar. "One last thing before I get the hell out."

"Yeah? What is it?" Magna asked.

Angra turns toward her brother with a toothy grin.

"You're only family I have left, so don't go dying on me, alright?"

Magna's eyes then stream out tears once more.

But not the hysterical sobs of agony.

But the stoic streams of a _newfound conviction_.

The Black Bull's Vice-Captain then does the Magic Knights salute, not a word out of his mouth.

As the tomboy sister walks off into the dark horizon, Magna then faintly sees a thumbs-up. gestured towards him.

"Vice-Captain!" A voice called out from behind.

Magna turns around to see Yuno, Noelle, and Jericho, gasping for air.

"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU, YOU DAMN DELINQUENT!?" Noelle yelled out. "WE'VE BEEN WORRIED SICK, YOU KNOW!"

"Sorry." Magna spoke to the recruits in a solemn tone.

"Had to tie up a few loose ends."

* * *

 **Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Dawn)**

* * *

A lone man carrying a pile of wood on his back was stumbling his way on the lone dirt road.

His weary eyes were gazing around the forest surround him, the lukewarm spring air caressing his skin, and his steadily-aging feet touching the rock-hard dirt through his soles.

Such is the life of a villager with a family of six.

"Hmm. My boy is about to turn fifteen this month..." The man mused. "I wonder what kind of grimoire that he'll get..."

The man hoped that his eldest son is blessed with a decent grimoire, so that way, he'll have a better life than he or his forefathers had since.

"Kikka's a good place to start." The man mumbled.

He then looks up toward the sky, with the sun shining from the horizon.

 _"Hmm. Made good time this morning."_ He mused.

He then looks back down on the road in front of him, only to see something that made him drop to his rear.

In front of the man was a tangled architecture of cubic masonry and ancient lore. A tomb from a long distant era where magic was on the advent.

A dungeon _unearths_ itself right in front of the man.

"WHA-WHAT THE HELL!?" The man cried out.

In panic, he drops his stack of wood and makes a run for it, in order to tell the news to the authorities.

From the forest, a lone figure cloaked in a tattered white cowl peers from behind a tree.

Seeing that no one was around, the figure enters the unearthed dungeon.

Elsewhere around the dungeon, a lone anti-bird perches on the branch of a now-uprooted tree.

The bird takes off and flies into one of the vents in the stone walls.

* * *

 **Black Bulls Base, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Morning)**

* * *

"Hey Magna." Luck poked at the punkish Vice-Captain. "Let's spar."

The Vice-Captain ignores the perpetually-smiling berserker without a word.

"Leave him be, Mr. Voltia." Jericho spoke out. "He just went through a emotional catharsis last evening and now he's slowly transitioning back into his normal self." The muscular youth then turns the base's mail box for the morning newspaper.

"So you're implying that you want to take his place?" Luck chimed out.

"Let me finish the newspaper first-" He then pauses himself at the cover page that he's looking at. "Mr. Voltia."

"Yes?" The youth skips toward the intellect.

"You might want to look at this." Jericho then places the paper flat on the coffee table, revealing the cover for all to see.

 **"Dungeon near the Clover-Diamond Kingdom border recently unearthed this morning. Nearby village is temporary evacuated for possible breach of borders."**

"Wow~" The youth gasped in awe. "I really wanna go there!"

"We can only hope, Mr. Voltia..." Jericho stated.

"Morning..." Yuno yawned out from the residential entrance.

"Morning Yuno." Jericho spoke out in a monotone voice.

"Morning..." Out of the same entrance, Noelle pops out while rubbing her eyes.

"Morning Noelle." Again the youth speaks out in a monotone voice.

"... What's going on?" Yuno stated.

"Look." Jericho then presents the cover page of the morning newspaper, _The Akashic Records_.

"Holy shit..." The youth gasped out.

Noelle sighs in relief. "Well, at least we don't have to-"

The front door is then kicked down by Captain Yami. "Morning maggots."

"Morning Captain." All members in the living room speaks out in unison.

"Hey Captain Yami!" Luck bolts to the man. "Can we spar? Can we!? Can we!?"

"Hell no." The Captain ignores the boy and hands leaves of papers to Jericho. "Your missions, by the way."

Jericho then looks through the papers.

"Captain..." Jericho exclaims out. "You don't mean-"

"Huh. Guess that spares me of giving you the details." Captain Yami replies offhandedly. "Head out soon as possible, alright?"

The door behind the Captain shuts itself.

"So what is it?" Luck hopped out behind from Yuno's shoulder.

Jericho, Noelle, Yuno, and Luck see their assignments.

They following members of the Black Bulls were assigned to explore the recently-unearthed dungeon were the following:

Yuno, Jericho Platina, Noelle Silva, Luck Voltia, and _Finral Roulacase_.

"What." All four present blurt out.

"Good morning everyone!" Behind the four, the resident dandy shows himself.

The four then turn around varying expressions of glee, disappointment, pity, and hope towards Finral.

"... What?" Finral asked. "Is there something on my face?"

"GET HIM!"

The four then pounce onto the poor bastard, preventing him from running away.

* * *

 **Dungeon Entrance, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Morning)**

* * *

"You guys really didn't have to be that rough..." Finral grumbled out as he guides out the Black Bull newbies out of his [Spatial Magic] portal.

"To be fair, Mr. Roulacase." Jericho spoke out. "You would've made a run for it the first chance that you were given."

"And not to mention that you were also assigned to this mission as well." Yuno pointed out.

"And that you've around here before." Noelle also pointed out.

"I know I know, but me, out of all people?" The young man groaned out.

"I dunno, emergency exit?" Noelle pointed out.

Everyone then looks at Luck.

"Hmm? What are you guys looking at?" Luck asked in an innocent tone.

 _"At least we have a way out."_ The four of them collectively thought.

Jericho then pulls out a lantern from his bag and lights it with a match. "C'mon, we don't have all day."

The five then go into the dark depths of the dungeon.

In the dark, Yuno reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small gem medallion. He then presses onto the gem, causing the center to glow for a bit before fading back.

"Hey Yuno." Finral spoke to his junior. "What was that?"

"Just a little something I bought for this mission." He then sneaks the medallion behind his Black Bull robes.

"Wait." Luck then obstructs the four behind him. The youth turns around towards the wall next to him. "Guys, you might want to stand back."

The four take a step back as Luck opens his grimoire. "[Lightning Creation Magic: Thunder God's Gauntlets]."

Large, claw-like arms made of lightning appear over the youth's arms. Luck winds back his arm, and slugs his hand into the wall, breaking it through.

"We're here for reals~." Luck hummed out from behind the breach.

The four look into the hole, revealing a twisted interior of stone, moss, and canals. The air itself was radiating with rich mana everywhere, the feel of the stone beneath their feet was lacking in any signs of erosion, and no one were able to peel their eyes off of this breathtaking scenery.

In other words, the Black Bulls stepped into another world, where time itself was frozen.

"Hey guys check this out~!" Luck then steps on a pressure plate, triggering a magic trap set by the men of the past.

Spires of ice erupt beneath the youth's feet, but Luck came out unscathed.

"Man! This is super-fun!" The boy laughed as he then triggers _more_ traps on purpose.

"Umm... Mr. Voltia?" Jericho called out through the mad choir of fire, water, lightning, ice, steel, plants, and whatever kinds of magic traps that the most depraved of minds can ever conceive. "You might want to regard that we're on a mission-"

Finral then cuts him off by placing his hand onto the muscular youth's shoulder. "Too late." Finral curtly pointed out. "He's already left."

In front of the four, Luck was _nowhere_ to be found.

"... Quite an energetic fellow, is he?" Jericho pointed out.

"That's putting it _very_ mildly..." Finral grumbled.

"Ah. I almost forgot." Jericho then turns towards Yuno. "How did you managed to get past me yesterday while I was chasing after the purse-snatcher?"

"Hmm?" Yuno then puts his thumb and index finger onto his chin. "Oh right. I used [Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble-Balloon] to fly into the air. It was my first time using it, so I had little control over on how it worked, but by the time I managed to get the hang of it, the bandit was flying towards me, so I canceled my magic and the rest happened."

"Okay, that explains how you got ahead of me." Jericho states. "But why couldn't I see you while you were flying?"

"That... I dunno." Yuno answered in a confused tone.

He does, however, recall the sun's rays bending away from the currents, so did that have to do something with the sunlight not shining on his face?

He'll just ask Jericho later. But for now...

"We should probably head further in." Yuno then walks toward one of the entrances.

"Wait for us, Yuno." Jericho then follows the youth with Noelle and Finral not too far behind.

"Hey Yuno." Finral asks the youth in front.

"What is it?"

"You know where you're going?" The Knight asks.

"Not really." Yuno answered. "But the flow of these particles of mana feel like they're leading me towards somewhere."

"Whatever that is, I hope it isn't a trap." Noelle grumbled out.

The Black Bulls then continue on their journey into the depths, room after room, one with an altered gravity that made them float like petals in the wind, the other was a room with branching paths, and plenty of other rooms with plenty of variety on how it'll kill a man.

The Black Bulls find a busted-open treasure chest covered in _blood_.

"What the hell happened in here!?" Noelle asked.

"Probably a _Mimic_." Jericho answered.

"Mimic?"

"Magical creatures living in dungeons that disguise themselves as treasure chests that eat up unsuspecting or foolish adventures that try to open it for assumed riches." He grimly stated. "But the current state of it..."

Jericho moves in closer to inspect this "Mimic". "No digested remains... No visible signs of struggle... All internal organs gone... Cavity is too clean... Scratch marks in its interiors... That's odd."

"What is it?" Yuno asked.

"Okay. Stop me if this sounds stupid." Jericho disclaimed. "I think someone _ate_ this Mimic."

The Black Bulls blink.

"Wait!" Finral exclaimed. "What the hell do you mean by that!?"

"Unless there are Magic Knights in the order who eats raw organs on a daily basis, I think someone else other than Magic Knights are roaming this dungeon." He states in a grim tone.

"Wait, RAW!?" Noelle screeched out.

"No signs of a fire being started around here, no scent of secondhand smoke, no traces of blood trailing, no visible footprints scratched interiors of the Mimic's chest, methinks that the mission has gotten even more _dangerous_."

The Black Bulls then fall quiet.

"So what now!?" Finral panicked.

"Retreat is not an option unless we get cornered, so all we can do now is to prepare for the worst." Jericho summarized as he braced his equipment. "Crazed cannibal or a bigger magical beast that wandered in, we'll face it when we cross that bridge."

The groups nod right before then head further in, now with _caution_ in their minds.

The group then runs into Luck, in an open room with a _gigantic carnivorous plant_ at the center.

"Mr. Voltia!" Jericho cried out.

"Hey guys~!" Luck's cheery voice spoke out over the plant's snarls. "Took you guys long enough~! I was starting to get bored!"

The plant then lashes out it's tendril-like vines toward the other Black Bulls.

The Magic Knights dive out of its way.

"EVERYONE! BE CAREFUL!" Jericho yelled out. "THAT'S A _NEPENTHES_!"

"WHAT DOES IT DO!?" Noelle yells out as she then ducks under the lash of the plant's vines.

"IT'S MOUTH HOUSES A SUPER-ACIDIC COMPOUND THAT CAN MELT THROUGH STEEL IN AN INSTANT!" Jericho cried out to the rest of his fellow Knights. "IT'S GOING TO TRY AND CATCH YOU AND DISSOLVE YOU FOR YOUR MANA AND NUTRIENTS!"

"THANKS FOR THE INFO! NOW I CAN DIE KNOWING THAT!" Finral cried out while screeching in horror.

Meanwhile, Luck's ankle gets caught by the plant's vines, but Luck simply rends the vine off of his foot with his clawed gauntlets and fires a few balls of lightning into its mouth.

The plant then covers its vat-like mouth with it's leaf-like lid, bouncing the balls off of it.

"Wait a minute..." Yuno whispered out as he watched the plant defend itself. "It's a risky move, but I gotta make sure."

Yuno then dashes toward the plant, with his ankle being immediately snared by its vines, and dangled up into the air and right above its bubbling vat of death.

"YUNO! WHAT THE HELL ARE THINKING!?" Jericho yelled out.

"NOW LUCK!" Yuno roared out.

The Cheery Berserker then fires his bolts of lightning directly into the vat.

"[Lightning Magic: Spark Scattershot]!" A grapeshot of electricity goes inside the plant's acidic vat.

At that moment, Yuno uses [Wind Magic: Crescent Moon Sickle] to cut himself loose from the vines and upon hitting the ground, Yuno bolts behind a fallen rubble.

"EVERYONE! FIND COVER! IT'S GONNA BLOW!"

Everyone, including _Luck_ , duck behind a improvised cover with their ears plugged in by their fingers.

The Nepenthes then _bloats_ , with a slight glow coming from inside its belly, right before it _explodes_ into a _nauseating-scented_ fireball.

The Black Bulls peers out of their covers with their noses pinched.

"I think it's dead." Yuno speaks out.

"NO SHIT IT'S DEAD!" Finral cried out in a exasperated tone. "I SWEAR! THAT STUNT OF YOURS MADE YOU LOOK LUCK OR MY YOUNGER BROTHER LOOK _SANE_ IN COMPARISON!"

"On the bright side, it won't attack anyone else ever again." Jericho spoke out. "Plus, look over there."

The Black Bulls see a treasure chest at the exact spot where the plant once was.

"You think it might be another Mimic?" Noelle asked, recalling the blood-soaked treasure chest.

"Luck, check for anything living in the chest." Finral asked.

Luck then sends a small jolt of lightning towards the chest.

The chest's lid then opens up by itself.

The Black Bulls then peer inside the chest for its contents, only seeing an artificial arm made of metal.

"That's it?" Noelle states in a disappointed tone.

"Eh. Loot's loot." Jericho then takes the arm and puts it in his satchel. "Might come in handy later."

With the monster dead, the Black Bulls head out, only to run into three figures.

Jericho then shines his lamp toward the three, revealing themselves as Magic Knights from Golden Dawn.

"I thought I smelled a rat." The bespectacled man spoke in a disgusted tone. "And it had to be the Black Bulls, out of all people. Just what the hell are you lot doing in here?"

"Mission." Jericho stated.

"Bullshit." The man spat out.

Jericho then takes out papers with their names on it. For additional proof, a wax seal of the Wizard King was on it, showing clearance for them to enter the dungeon.

"Hmph! All right. I'll give that one." The man huffed.

"Commander Lunettes, you're acting like a complete ass right now." A chestnut-haired girl spoke out.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Junior Magic Knight Fifth Class, Corrin Index!"

"Everyone please!" A redheaded Golden Dawn breaks up the two. "We're not here to fight amongst ourselves!"

"Hmph! I'll let you off with that transgression then." Commander Lunettes then turns his back toward Corrin.

"Screw you too, Klaus." Corrin secretly flips the bird as she mutters at the bespectacled man.

The Black Bulls look at the so-called _"dignified"_ and _"elite"_ Golden Dawn Magic Knights acting like more of a ragtag group then themselves.

 _"And people call us mismatched."_ The Black Bulls collectively thought.

The redheaded girl then eyes toward Noelle.

"What?" Noelle asked.

"It's been a while, Noelle." The redheaded girl spoke to Noelle.

"Never thought I'd see you again, Mimosa." The huffs out. "Glad someone's hasn't changed a bit."

"So Noelle..." Mimosa tries to continue her conversation, but Finral cuts in and tries to flirt with her.

"Hey cutie." Finral winked. "How you've been today?"

"Why fine, thank you." Mimosa smiled.

 _"Still airheaded as ever..."_ Noelle internally groaned.

"Anyway!" Klaus yells out over everyone. "We of the Golden Dawn have been exploring the whole dungeon until we heard an explosion from this room."

"To be fair, one of us ran ahead, found him fighting a giant plant monster all by his lonesome, killed by making eat lightning, and got a sweet metal arm out of it." Jericho states while presenting said arm.

Luck then waves out his arm towards the Golden Dawn.

Corrin whistles at the sight of the craftsmanship of the treasure.

"Hmph. Better then expected." Klaus spoke out. "However! It shall be the Golden Dawn that'll conquer this dungeon for the Clover Kingdom! Corrin! Back to out exploration."

"One problem, four-eyes." Corrin snarked. "There's not enough room to activate my [Magnet Magic: Telekinetic Flux]. And no, that room behind them is a dead end."

The Black Bulls nod as Klaus begins to fume over his shortsightedness.

"Fine!" The Golden Dawn Knight yelled out. "EVERYONE OUTSIDE! NOW!"

All the Magic Knights then vacate the dead end chamber and along the way, the two squads begin to converse.

"So, four-leaf." Klaus asks Yuno.

"What is it?"

"Why didn't you join the Golden Dawn?" Klaus asked. "Surely with your power and potential as a four-leaf, you would've made greater strides then if you're with the Black Bulls."

"If I said that I want people to see me more than just some four-leaf, would believe me?" Yuno replied coldly. "I know that magic is everything in this world and that sentiment goes _double_ for you Nobles, but it's that same damn world that killed my brother right in front of me. I joined the Black Bulls over the Golden Dawn so that I can protect the people that matter the most to me rather then some over-pompous Noble that whose name I don't even know."

All other words that were about to come out of Klaus's mouth fade in an instant. The Magic Knight is at a complete loss of words at the youth's inner turmoil and conviction.

Meanwhile, Noelle and Mimosa were also exchanging words as well.

"So Noelle." Mimosa asked the silver-haired girl. "How are the Black Bulls been treating you? I mean, I've heard that they're pretty unruly but they seem pretty nice if you ask me."

"It's as you say." Noelle responds. "Although I'm surprised to see that the Golden Dawn let you in despite you being a complete scatterbrain."

"Well, as much as I love to join my cousins in the Crimson Lion Kings, they're a little too hot to handle for me." Mimosa sweatdropped. "Also, the Golden Dawn members have really supportive of my role as backline healer, and from their support, I had a lot of chances of improving my [Plant Magic]."

While the two girls were exchanging their experiences, Corrin and Jericho were exchanging information about the dungeon.

"So you're telling me that you guys ran into monsters in this dungeon?" Corrin asked in a surprised tone.

"I'm surprised to hear that you lot didn't run into a single one." Jericho responds.

"That explains why this dungeon feels so odd to be so barren..." The Golden Dawn Knight bit her thumbnail.

"Worse, methinks that someone else other than us has entered the dungeon as well." The Black Bull pointed out.

The rest, Luck and Finral however, were a little... _preoccupied_.

"Hey Final~." Luck moaned out in a bored. "Let me down~."

Finral grumbles as he continues to carry Luck over his shoulder with his [Spatial Binding Magic: Magic Box].

The eight Magic Knights then reach the clearing surrounded by rivers flowing upwards.

"You can never get used to seeing that..." Mimosa commented.

"Well regardless." Klaus then turns toward the Black Bulls while adjusting his glasses. "This is where we resume our mission. Mimosa! Corrin!"

"On it!" The redhead then opens her grimoire. "[Plant Creation Magic: Magic Flower Guidepost]." A large flower with a holographic display of the whole dungeon layout appears before her.

"Asshole." The chestnut-haired girl then opens her grimoire. "[Magnet Magic: Divining Rods]." A pair of L-shaped rods made of light appear before her. The girl then begins to scout around the whole area for direction with the rods floating in front of her.

"Amazing..." Jericho spoke out as his pen was sketching the layout displayed on the flower. The rest of the Black Bulls watched in awe as the Golden Dawn Knights worked with such coordination and professionalism.

 _"Never mind, they're Golden Dawn."_ The Black Bulls, sans Jericho, collectively thought.

"The treasure room is nearby." Mimosa stated.

The rods in front of Corrin then turn away from each other. "I found a way in!"

"Excellent!" Klaus then opens his grimoire. "[Steel Creation Magic: Royal War Chariot]!" A war chariot pulled by a horse statue made of iron.

The Golden Dawn Knights all get on the chariot.

"Oh, before we go, can we give our names?" Mimosa asked Klaus.

"Make it quick."

Mimosa smiles. "My name is Mimosa Vermilion. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Yuno." The youth raises his hand.

"Noelle Silva." The silver-haired girl flips her hair back.

"Name's Corrin Index." The chestnut-haired girl spoke out.

"I'm Luck Voltia! Let's fight after the mission's over!" The youth over Finral's shoulder chimed out.

"Ignore him. The name's Finral Roulacase! Nice to make acquaintances with two cute girls as yourselves." The Black Bull winks.

"Jericho Platina, ex-Royal and aspiring diplomat." The muscular youth presented.

"Then thy name is Klaus Lunettes of the glorious Golden Dawn, and I have parting words before we leave." Klaus adjusts his glasses. "But first, Corrin!"

"On it." Corrin then casts a spell. "[Magnet Magic: Telekinetic Flux]." She touches the chariot with her two fingers.

Sparks then run across the whole steel chariot as it begins to float.

"Next time drive it yourself, asshole." Corrin mumbled as she closed her grimoire.

"Now for my parting words, Black Bulls." Klaus ignores Corrin as he declares while his chariot begins to lift itself off of the ground.

"Don't get in our way." The steel chariot then flies off into one of the holes in the wall.

The Black Bulls then look at the chariot flying off.

"We should go." Jericho pointed out.

Before anyone can say anything, a splash from the water was heard.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Noelle pulls out her grimoire and her eagle wand, Aquila. _"Alright! I guess now would be the time to test out this new thing!"_ She thought.

"I would come out, but I'm a little... _indecent_ right now." The unknown voice spoke in an _embarrassed_ tone.

"What do you mean by-" Before Noelle can finish her sentence, she then shes a blue-striped boxer floating down a river right next to her.

A head with messy red hair and stubble pops out from the corner of a rock.

"Can you folks help out a man looking for his clothes?"

Noelle then fires a blast of water at the man while screaming in embarrassment, sending the poor bastard flying towards a wall, buck-naked.

 _"Huh, guess the wand helped."_ The Black Bulls collectively thought.

"PERVERT!" Noelle then keeps firing her [Naga's Fang] at the unknown red-haired man.

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** AND I AM BACK BITCHES!

Hoo boy, two weeks of a writer's block and I'm back from the depths of Hell baby!

So a few things to announce:

First, I'm starting to draft a Gundam IBO AU fic! Had that sucker on a backburner for a while and I want to upload the first chapter around this month in celebration of Gundam NT's release date.

Second, we are now in the dungeon exploration arc! Finally I can write without restraint!

Lastly, another OC! I love making these guys. Also, no more recaps.

So make of that what you will.

Hypothetical Voices (for Funsies):

Corrin Index: Rina Sato (JPN), Brittney Karbowski (JPN)

So what do guys think of this chapter? Leave a comment or a review down below, for I'd like to know what my audience is thinking.


	18. Saga 18: Bad Company Part 2

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 18: Bad Company Part 2**

* * *

 **Dungeon Depths, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

"You're all lifesavers, you know that?" The red-haired man states in an earnest tone while squeezing his boxers dry.

Meanwhile, Noelle, the who retrieved the boxers (reluctantly), was currently brushing her hands against a brick wall in desperation.

"Never mind that." Finral sighed out. "How did you lose your clothes in the first place?"

"Dunno. It kept happening since I was born." The man grumbled out as he was putting back on his boxers. "My clothes are either snagged off by stray branches or they just fall off on their own. And no, belts do not help at all."

"Hey." Yuno points toward the green trenchcoat floating down by the canal next to them.

"Hey! That's my coat over there!" The red-haired man points toward the floating coat.

And out from the drain behind the coat came out a pair of blue pants, a pair of brown leather boots, a loose white shirt, and a bramble of brown leather belts containing an auburn-colored grimoire and a sheathed Estoc floats down ext to Yuno.

"... And everything else that's mine it over there." The red-haired man pointed out.

"... You want us to go get it for you?" Jericho asked.

"No... I-It's fine." The man then comes out from his rock only in his boxers. "You all did enough."

 **10 Minutes Later...**

"Sorry for the wait." The man then comes out, now fully-clothed. "Forgot to introduce myself, the name's Fanzell Kruger, and I'm an adventurer."

"Yuno." The youth speaks out.

"Jericho Platnia. Pleasure to meet you." The muscular youth spoke to the red-haired man.

"I'm Finral Roulacase." The fair-faced youth spoke out.

"I'm Noelle Silva, and you should watch how you present yourself in front of a lady." She grumbled.

"The name's Luck Voltia!" The short youth spoke out excitedly. "I see a grimoire and a sword on you! Tell me, are you any strong?"

"Eh. I'm tough enough to get by in life." Fanzell replies. "Never mind that, what the hell are you kids doing in a place like this?"

"We're not kids, Mr. Kruger." Finral pointed out. "We're Clover Kingdom's Magic Knights."

"That so?" Fanzell replies. "Well, if you're here for a reason, then you folks better get going." He then points his thumb towards the opening towards his right. "I managed to run into a giant double-door through there, but I kinda stepped on a loose tile, fell into a stream, and here I am."

"... That sounds stupid." Noelle points out.

"Make of it what you will, kids." Fanzell states. "Now off you go."

The red-haired man then heads off into one of the entrances.

* * *

 **Wizard King's Ovation Hall, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

At Magic Knight's Headquarters, a slew of Nobles and Royalty alike have gathered for an emergency briefing regarding the dungeon.

Sitting at the throne in the ovation hall was the current Wizard King, Julius Novachrono.

"What do you mean that there are Diamond Kingdom mages running around the dungeon?" One Nobleman spoke out.

"I mean that the scouting party that I've sent out this morning saw what you've questioned." Julius replied. "There were two guarding the entrances, but both turned out to be some kind of magic dummies."

"Will the Magic Knights be well?" A Noblewoman spoke out in a worried tone. "My daughter Corrin is assigned to explore such horrid place after all."

"Fret not." The Nobleman next to her stated. "She's a Golden Dawn, isn't she?"

 _"Well if the Golden Dawn is there, then surely the mission will go well..."_

 _"But I've heard rumors of the Diamond Kingdom developing a secret Super-Soldier project to bolster their ranks..."_

"Fear not." Julius stated toward the gathered Nobles and Royalty. "I've sent the Golden Dawn and the Black Bulls to the dungeon, so should the rumors of Diamond Kingdom mages being in the dungeon prove true, then it'll all be well."

"Wait, the Black Bulls?" One Nobleman spoke out. "Surely you jest!"

 _"The worst squad being paired up with the Kingdom's best..."_

 _"I could already see it going horribly wrong..."_

 _"But I've heard rumors that a four-leaf and an ex-Royalty being part of the Black Bulls..."_

 _"You're telling me that those ruffians actually stand a chance in there?"_

 _"I would jest, but the facts state otherwise, I'm afraid..."_

 _"If the Black Bulls actually come out alive, then I'll consider the whole world to have gone mad..."_

Julius grumbles in slight frustration. These Nobles and Royalty being more concerned about their rank and reputation over the bigger picture of sending children to a possible deathtrap.

But his faith in those prodigies did not waver in the slightest. If anything, he's testing them, especially that four-leaf in the Black Bulls.

 _"Tell me, Yami..."_ Julius thought while the gathered crowd now begins to debate among themselves. _"Is that boy worthy enough to claim to be my successor? I wait for your answers upon his safe return..."_

* * *

 **Dungeon's Depths, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

"We're here." Klaus states as his chariot lands in front of the stone gates.

Beyond the stone gates towering over the Golden Dawn was the treasure room, where relics of the past were stored, with a certain few containing enough magic power to allegedly change the whole continent.

The Golden Dawn's mission is to secure those relics so that it'll be never misused by the hands of evil.

"Does your magic tell you anything?" Klaus asked Corrin.

"My [Magnet Magic: Telepathic Detector] is picking up on a lot of things made of metal beyond that door." Corrin groaned out as she nursed her head. "Now can I turn it off before my grey matter explodes!? This spell is starting to make my head hurt!"

"You may."

Corrin turns off her spell, letting out a sigh of relief afterwards. "... Now how the fuck do we get in?" She pointed towards the gate.

"It's made of stone so the answer is obvious." Klaus then opens his grimoire. "We simply smash through the gates! [Steel Creation Magic: Hellion's Battering Ram]!" A giant pillar of iron covered in spikes appears before Klaus.

With a roar, Klaus swings his arms forward, sending the floating ram towards the stone gates.

The ram simply _bounces_ off of the stone gates.

"Oh and I forgot mention." Corrin spoke out. "The stone gates are over 12 feet _thick_. Not mentioning the fact that the masonry is also reinforced with a crapload of defensive magic."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER!?" Klaus yelled out in frustration as his ram dissipates.

"You didn't ask." The chestnut-haired girl dryly replied.

Klaus's temper explodes as he then scratches his hair with both of his hands.

"Now, now, everyone!" Mimosa then claps her hands, bringing the two back together and away from the fighting. "We're not here to fight here, so instead, what we should do instead is find other ways in the room beyond that gate?"

"Hmph!" Klaus lets out a haughty huff as he adjusts his glasses. "You heard her, Corr-"

"That includes you, Commander Klaus." Mimosa pointed out bluntly.

"I knew that." The bespectacled man curtly replied.

"Of course you do-GET DOWN!"

Corrin then tackles Mimosa out of the way, dodging a crescent-bladed sword made of diamond.

In front of the three Golden Dawn was a lone male figure in a form-fitting white garbs with a V-window exposing his chiseled cleavage, around the garb's collar was a row of black ruffles, and on both his chest and forehead were a white gem embedded into it, complemented by his pair of empty eyes that gave him a appearance of a bloodless killer automation.

"Who are you!?" Klaus barked out at the tin-man-like figure.

"Acquiring target..." The figure spoke out in a monotone voice. "Three targets confirmed to be of Clover Kingdom's Golden Dawn. New objective confirmed."

A haphazardly-stitched up grimoire with two different covers appears before him.

"Eliminate all non-allied lifeforms in this general vicinity." His grimoire then opens its pages. "[Crystal Creation Magic: Harpe]."

Numerous crescent-bladed swords then swarm towards the Golden Dawn Knights.

"NOT ON MY WATCH!" Klaus then opens his grimoire. "[Steel Creation Magic: Steel Castle's Armored Wall]!"

A steel rampart appears before the Knights, blocking the swords with its hulls.

Several of them bounce off, but a handful of them U-turn towards the wall's rear.

"DAMMIT!" Corrin then opens her grimoire. "[Magnet Magic: Material Manipulation]!"

Her hand then touches the steel rampart, picks it up with ease, and swings the whole rampart to block out the remaining blades.

"FOUR-EYES!" Corrin roars out as she then chucks the whole rampart towards the emotionless assailant. "NOW!"

"RIGHT!" Klaus then opens his grimoire, ready to deliver his counterattack. "[Steel Magic: Blazing Spiral Lance]!"

A gigantic steel drill fires out towards the figure with intent to kill.

"Futile." The figure then opens his grimoire once more. "[Crystal Magic: Nemean Armor]."

A set of armor made of diamonds covers the rouge. Upon equipping the set of armor, the mage effortlessly stops the drill dead with his fingers, and the flying barricade is swatted away like a fly.

"Well shit." Corrin cursed. "So much for a easy run..."

"Everyone!" Klaus spoke in a stern tone. "Maintain formation and ready to attack back at will! Mimosa!"

"Yes!?" The girl replied.

"Get ready to heal us at a moment's notice and whatever you do, don't get caught up by any of his attacks, understood!?"

"Y-Yes sir!" Mimosa then opens her grimoire. "[Plant Creation Magic: Fairy's Healing Flower]!"

A small flower was placed on each of the Golden Dawn members's heads. "This should provide passive healing!" Mimosa pointed out.

"Good work!" Klaus then turns to the other. "Corrin!"

"Don't have to tell me twice." She then opens her grimoire. "Just provide me plenty of ammo and I'll kick that pale bastard's ass before you can, understood?"

Klaus then readies to attack the rouge mage. "FOR THE CLOVER KINGDOM! FOR THE GOLDEN DAWN! WE SHALL PREVAIL!"

Elsewhere, the five Black Bulls were trekking the dungeon for the treasure room.

"Hey." Luck spoke out. "Just who do think that man was?"

"Dunno." Jericho spoke out from the front, lighting the way. "Why? Is he on your mind?"

"In a way, yeah." Luck replied with a slightly nervous smile. "I read his mana, and let me tell you, he's strong. And I mean strong enough to completely waste _all of us_ in an instant."

"Either way." Finral cut in. "He ain't hostile, so why worry?"

"Strong as he is, I wanna fight him." Luck smiled.

"Of course..." Noelle rolled her eyes.

The Black Bulls continued onward as usual.

"Wait." Jericho stops walking.

"What is it?" Yuno asked.

The rest of the Black Bulls stop.

"I sense something." Jericho stated. "Something dangerous."

"Is it another damn monster!?" Noelle whispered out. "I've just had it up to here ever since we ran into that oversized garden weed!"

"Worse." Jericho gulped. " _Mages_."

Beyond the entrance, there were a group of hooded mages and a single man with messy black hair, mustache, and goatee overseeing the group.

"Alright folks!" The man with the goatee claps his hands, bringing the other mages to his attention. "We're wasting time here so let's move onto the next room!"

The mages then turn toward the one of the exits.

"So?" Noelle whispered, "What do we do now?"

"We tail them." Jericho whispered. "It's risky, but it's our only-"

Without heeding a single word, Luck jumps out of the corner and pounces down upon one of the cloaked mages. The other cloaked mages try to intervene, but Luck simply swats all of them away towards the walls of the room.

"Man, these guys are a bunch pussies." Luck commented as he picks one up by his head.

"Or plan B, try not to let Luck get himself killed from his own recklessness." Jericho grumbled out as he then follows after the crazed youth.

The other Black Bulls come out of the corner, with Yuno dragging Finral out by his collar.

"Well what do we have here..." The man with the goatee grumbled out while stroking his goatee. "I thought we were the only ones here, but I guess a large architecture suddenly popping out of the ground is hard to ignore, now is it?" He then turns to Luck with a disappointed expression on his face. "Also, young man. Language, or its the swear jar for you, mister." The man then takes out a jar filled with a small amount of yuls before putting it away.

"Hey. You look strong." Luck turned towards the man sitting above him. "In fact, I think I'll have more fun kicking your rear compared to these guys. What do you say? Wanna go for a round?"

"State name and business, or else we'll be forced to comply with force." Jericho declared as he and the other Black Bulls opened their grimoires.

"Good grief, I know kids nowadays are more spirited then us adults, but like this?" The man then hops down from his stone column and onto the same level of where the Black Bulls were. "The name's Lotus Whomalt, also known as ' _Hell Lotus_ ', and judging from your robes, I guess you know a man named Yami Sukehiro?"

"You two have met once?" Yuno asked.

The man then opens his shirt, revealing a huge scar gashed across his chest. "Almost died from that guy's sword. Good thing I ran back to the medical lines before I bled out." Lotus then closes his shirt. "So aside from that, can you just forget that you've ever saw us and let us be on our way?"

"Only if you leave this dungeon and never come back." Noelle pointed her Aquila towards Lotus.

"As much as I'd love to, I can't leave this place empty-handed." The man sighed out. "Look squirt, I've got a wife and three little girls to feed back home, and if I leave my men here to die in a place like this, well that'll be bad for me in general, so can I just take my men and go somewhere els-"

"LESS TALK! MORE FIGHT!" Luck then jumps towards him. "[Lightning Creation Magic: Thunder God's Boots]!"

A flying kick of lightning was soaring towards Lotus from the behind.

"Good grief, kids are so impatient nowadays..." Lotus then opens his own grimoire. "But it's during times like these..."

Tendrils of smoke bind Luck's arms and legs.

"... The adults have to be held responsible for disciplining the unruly." The man declared in an exasperated tone. "[Smoke Creation Magic: Binding Cross Prison]."

"Luck!" Finral cried out.

"Now now." Lotus cut in. "I ain't here to kill anyone, let alone, children, so I'll repeat what said previously; let me and my men go about our own way, and I promise that no one has to die under my watch. Sound good?"

"You're in no position to make demands..." Noelle suddenly trails off right before she slumps onto her knees.

Everyone else then suddenly begins to struggle to keep themselves on their feet.

Then Lotus lets out a sigh as he strokes his goatee. "Sorry, but you left me with no other choice but to trigger my trap."

"... Trap?" Yuno coughed out.

"[Smoke Weakening Magic: Garden of Plundering Smoke]." The bearded mage declared. "Don't worry, it won't kill you, so all I need are a few minutes for me and my men to get out of way, and once after we're gone, take a few minutes of a breather before you go exploring again, okay?"

"... Yuno!" Jericho coughed out. "Your... magic..."

"Right!" In desperation, Yuno opens his grimoire. "[Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble-Ventilator]!"

A sphere of wind surrounds Yuno's head, freeing him from suffocation of the knockout gas. As the air around Yuno's head clears up, the youth slowly staggers back up to his feet.

"Well shoot." Lotus spoke out. "I'm not the kind of person who would fight, let alone, throw a punch, so I'll have to call it exit stage left." He chuckled. "... You wouldn't mind if I just take my men back before something bad happens, would you?"

"You're not going anywhere." Yuno stated menacingly. "Now tell me, what's your business here!?"

"Exactly what I said, kiddo." Lotus answered. "For me, either my family eats or they starve for another day."

"Then why don't you ask the Clover Kingdom for help?" Yuno asked. "If you did, then surely you-"

"Kid. I like you and all, but I kinda have to point out one little problem with your statement." Lotus then grabs his grimoire and shows it towards the youth.

On the center was a _diamond_.

"You don't mean..."

" _Defected_ , by the way." Lotus sighs out. "Me and a few like-minded others made a run for it after things went bad back home, met up with a guy that bailed out early who lived here for the past few years, and now, we kinda have to live off the land as nomads." The man then strokes his goatee. "Oh, and before you say anything, no, turning to this kingdom for help isn't an option. Soon as we reveal ourselves to the public eye, let's just say that I won't go into detail on how it's going to get _much worse_ then it is for me and my family."

"That doesn't mean that you shouldn't resort to cutthroat measures!" Yuno shouted back. "If you'd just leave now, then you won't have to put yourselves into the line of fire!"

"I know." The man responded in a _solemn_ tone. "But for the Clover Kingdom's eyes, we've already crossed that line as soon as we've breached the borders without permit."

Lotus then opens his grimoire. "So do me a favor and leave me and my men alone. Or, I'm going to have to do something that I'll regret for the rest of my life."

Yuno stays his ground.

Lotus then lets out a sigh. "Welp, worth a shot. But on the bright side, at least I can now make a run for it."

"Wait, what?"

"[Smoke Creation Magic: Hustling Lazy Car]." A cart made of smoke carrying five cloaked mages appear before the man. "Gotta go, kiddo. And next time we meet, I'm just going to make a run for it." Lotus then jumps onto the cart before it speeds off.

The smoke around the room fades, allowing Yuno to take off his helmet.

"Everyone!" Yuno cries out as he runs towards the downed Noelle. He checks for her pulse.

"Good, she's still alive." Yuno sighed in relief.

Yuno's grimoire then flutters its pages on its own, responding to his feeling of relief and concern.

A new spell has awakened within Yuno's grimoire.

"[Wind Recovery Magic: Breath of Life]!"

A gust of refreshing wind blows gently throughout the room. The wind blows into everyone's bodies, clearing their lungs of monoxide and other foulness crammed within.

With a wheeze and a cough, all the Black Bulls that fainted were back up.

"*cough* Yuno..." Jericho heaved out. "What the hell just happened?"

Luck then looks around the room. "Aw dammit! That old fart got away! And just when it was about get good..." He pouted.

"... Never again, I'm near anything that smells like a used fireplace." Noelle moaned out.

"Easy for you to say!" Finral groaned out. "Now I smell just like Captain Yami! How am I supposed to flirt with other girls around town when look like I walked through a smoking room!?"

* * *

 **Black Bull's Base, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

In one of the bathroom stalls, a sneeze was heard.

 _"... I'm blaming Finral for this crap."_ Yami thought as he re-lit his cigarette.

* * *

 **Dungeon's Depths, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

After the Black Bulls got back on their feet, the five made their way through the one of the entrances. While Jericho lit the way as usual, Yuno fills everyone in on what he's learned about the group that they've encountered.

"So that guy was from the Diamond Kingdom!?" The Black Bulls cried out in front of Yuno.

"Defected, by the way." Yuno added.

"So in a way, he's counted as an illegal immigrant, along with his whole family." Noelle stated bluntly.

"Can't blame him for it though..." Finral stated. "I've heard a shitload of rumors that the Diamond Kingdom is about to go to shit due to their resources dropping at an all-time low, and to top it all off, the whole Kingdom is ruled by a tyrant."

"Worse." Jericho mentioned. "The Clover Kingdom has only _recently_ established a lift on the immigration ban on the Witch's Forest by the Northeast border and the Seabed Temple by the Eastern coastal border. There have been talks floating around of opening the borders to the Heart Kingdom, but as for the remaining Diamond and Spade Kingdom, they're not as fortunate."

"So that aside." Luck interrupts. "That guy actually fought Captain Yami and lived to tell the tale!?" The youth's smile then grows even more wider.

"Next time I see him, I'm gonna kick his ass all the way to next Tuesday." The bloodthirsty youth chuckled.

The Black Bulls remain silent on the youth's _slightly disturbing_ remark.

"... Anyway!" Noelle cut in. "That doesn't mean that we'll abort the mission, right everyone!?"

"You've been doing a lot better lately, Noelle." Yuno smiled.

"W-Well, of course I've been!" She pouted. "As Royalty, it's in my blood to restore and maintain my dignity!"

In actuality:

 _"Ahh! The four-leaf peasant actually complimented me! I'm so embarrassed yet so happy! What is this feeling!?"_

"Wait." Jericho signals everyone behind him to stop. "I hear something."

Numerous sounds of clashing steel and explosions of gravel and magic echo from the light at the end of the tunnel.

In the line, Luck begins to grow _antsy_.

His fingers begin to tap his thighs _sporadically_.

His eyes begins to twitch _violently_.

And right as the Black Bulls approach the light closer and closer, Luck speeds ahead of everyone else, with the intent to murder _scorching_ in this crazed eyes.

"LUCK, NO!" Jericho tries to reach out towards Luck.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY, COCKBLOCKER!" Luck yells out as he shoots out from the exit above the Golden Dawn Knights and the [Crystal Magic] user.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Klaus yells out upon seeing the berserk youth flying out of the exits above their heads.

Keyword being "above". As in about _15m_ upwards.

Not that it really mattered.

Because upon sensing/seeing the [Crystal Magic] user, Luck then bolts towards him headfirst.

"[Lightning Magic: Sharpshooting Shocker]!" Luck then _transforms_ into lightning that strikes down towards this rough mage.

The mage catches Luck by his foot and tosses him aside like a rag doll. The youth simply bounces off of the wall and springs back towards the crystalline mage.

"Hey! You look pretty strong!" Luck beamed out while he was hurling himself towards the mage. "I bet you'll last a lot longer then that plant monster that I fought a while bac-"

The [Crystal Magic] user simply backhands the youth away with his fist.

"LUCK!" Jericho's voice cried out from the exit.

His arms then encase themselves with [Stardust Knuckles] as he wall-drags himself down towards Luck.

Next to Jericho was was Luck, who currently like he just went through 10 rounds with Captain Yami, with all of his matches ending in a complete _stomp_.

He literally looked like he'd been ran over by a carriage carrying _anvils_.

Jericho checks for his pulse by touching Luck's neck.

"Still alive." He mumbled as the other Black Bulls came down. "Yuno, can heal up Luck?"

"I'll try." Yuno then dashes towards Luck with his grimoire open.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU BLACK BULLS DOING HERE!?" Klaus roars out towards them.

"Additional targets confirmed..." The automation droned while turning his gaze toward the Black Bulls. "Proceeding towards elimination."

The [Harpe] blades swarms towards the Black Bulls.

"LOOK OUT-"

The crystalline blades shatter upon being parried by Jericho's platinum fists.

"Yuno, continue healing, and once Luck wakes up, feel free to join, got it?"

"Got it." Yuno then casts [Wind Recovery Magic: Breath of Life] onto Luck.

"Finral, cover me on incoming projectiles and send them towards the previous rooms."

"I-I'll do my best!" Finral stuttered while screaming in terror _internally_.

"And Noelle." Jericho speaks to the silver-haired girl.

"Yes!?" The girl yipped.

"Try not to let anyone here die, especially _Luck_."

The girl gulps under the mounting pressure as she activates [Naga's Refuge] around Yuno and Luck.

"Now then..." Jericho then raises his fists towards the rouge mage. "Bring it."

The [Crystal Magic] user then opens his grimoire. "[Crystal Creation Magic: Talos Puppet Cluster]."

An army of crystal copies of the mage then dogpile upon Jericho.

Jericho then takes in a sharp inhale right as the crystal clones come closer.

Then the mob shatters like glass in less then a second.

The blank-faced mage and Klaus are given a pause.

"Jericho..." Klaus spoke out. "Why didn't you join the Golden Daw-"

"HEY FOUR-EYES! 4 O'CLOCK!"

A stray [Harpe] blade flies towards the hapless knight.

But before the blade can claim its latest victim, the crystal blade shatters before him.

From a distance, Jericho's left hand was stretched out with his thumb flicking out. "Next time, you're on your own."

Meanwhile, the hostile mage then begins to focus his attention towards Jericho.

"Switching priorities." The flying [Harpe] blades then come back towards its original caster. "New objective confirmed: eliminate the [Platinum Magic] user with extreme prejudice." The mage then opens his patchwork grimoire in preparation for his next assault. "[Crystal Creation Magic: Heavy Armored Titan]."

The mage then encases himself into a _bigger_ set of crystalline armor that _towers_ over the other mages. The golem-encased mage then swings a punch towards Jericho.

With a roar, Jericho parries the diamond fist with his own of platinum make.

Both shatter, sending the two back reeling.

"JERICHO!" Yuno yelled out. "I'M DONE HEALING LUCK! I'M GOING IN TO HELP!"

"JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING, BLACK BULL!?" Klaus yelled out . "YOU DON'T STAND A CHAN-"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! YOU DAMN NOBLE!" Yuno roars out as he charges in with his grimoire open. "[Wind Creation Magic: Wind Blades Shower]!"

Numerous blades of air surround Yuno, and fire out the whole volley towards the remaining [Harpe] blades, shattering them upon contact.

"GOOD WORK YUNO!" Jericho then opens grimoire. "[Platinum Creation Magic: Star Finger]!" His index and middle finger fire out towards the exposed mage's crystal on his chest.

The mage grabs the fingers with his hands, right before it hits the crystal on his chest.

"YUNO!"

Yuno jumps onto Jericho's back as a springboard, gains air as he then casts his next spell.

 **"[Wind Magic: Turbulence Fang Howling]!"**

A violent vortex of cutting wind spirals toward the golem-encased mage.

The diamond armor is then swallowed up into the vortex. Inside the twister, bits and pieces of the crystal break off of the [Heavy Armored Titan] right before it shatters it completely, sending the whole mage flying off from his armor.

The mage is then embedded into a brick wall with his arms spread out like an eagle.

In exhaustion, Yuno falls flat onto his face. But with his remaining strength, he rolls onto his back, reaches out to a bottle strapped onto his belt, rips off the cap with his teeth, and pours a green liquid into his open mouth.

Upon finishing the bottle, Yuno hacks and gags himself awake.

"... Disgusting as usual." Yuno coughed out as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"What's that in your hand?" Noelle asked.

"Moguro leaf juice." He groaned out. "My first time home-brewing it. Tastes way more bitter then the store-bought ones."

"You do know that you need a licence to brew potions, right?" Jericho stated.

Yuno takes out a metal tag with the his name and a guild seal engraved onto it. "Got it approved during our day off. Also, Moguro Leaf Juice don't count as potions."

"Fair enough." Jericho then extends out his hand towards Yuno.

Yuno takes the hand and picks himself up.

"In case if you two are done lollygagging, I suggest we get a move on." Klaus cuts in.

"Oh hey, didn't notice you there." Yuno moaned out.

"I don't have to take this from the likes of you." Klaus then walk towards the downed [Crystal Magic] user. "[Steel Binding Magic: Straitjacket]."

The rouge mage's upper body is then encased in a bell-like casing.

"Ignore him." Corrin then approaches the two. "He's a bit of an ass, but he's a Magic Knight _first_ , a typical Noble second."

"Its not like you're any better, Index!" Klaus replied in an annoyed tone.

"Asshole."

"Bite your tongue!"

"You wanna go asshole!?"

Before the two of them can escalate any higher, Jericho bops the two of them on top of their heads.

"WHAT THE HELL, DIPSHIT!?" The two cried out in unison.

"Sorry." Jericho stated in a menacing tone. "I thought the two were Golden Dawn, not the _Purple Orcas_."

"WHY YOU-"

Jericho knocks them out with a swift chop to the back of their necks.

"Sorry." Jericho spoke to Mimosa while carrying the two under his arms. "Can you watch them while I go and regroup with my squad?"

"No problem at all!" The girl then opens her grimoire. "[Plant Recovery Magic: Dream-Healing Flower Cradle]."

Two baskets made of flowers and vines appear as Jericho tosses the two conked-out Golden Dawn Knights into them.

"... You're okay with this?" Yuno asked Mimosa.

"Believe me if I say that these two are like oil and water." Mimosa spoke with a resigned expression on her face. "Thank God that I'm used to this kind of things happening around me."

"Crimson Lion Kings?" Jericho asks.

The redheaded girl wordlessly nods.

"Forgive me for asking in the first place." Jericho bowed his head.

"No need." Mimosa then goes back to attending the two.

"Yuno! Jericho!" Noelle cried out as she slowly slides down the slope above them. "You almost had me worried for a bit."

"What can I say?" Yuno heaved out. "I took a lot after my brother." He weakly smiled.

"That's no excuse to rush towards a possible early grave, dammit." She pouts out as she opens her grimoire and wand and readies Aquila. "[Water Recovery Magic: Naga's Tear]."

A drop of water lands on Yuno's forehead, refreshing him.

"I feel much better now. Thanks." Yuno grumbles out as he slowly gets back up.

"Hmph! You should be."

In reality:

 _"Ahhh! Someone complimented me! I'm not useless anymore!"_

"Anyway." Finral spoke out. "There's a large stone door in the room that's waiting to be be opened in this room, so shall we get a move on before Luck wakes up!?"

The Black Bulls then dash towards the gates and they begin to inspect it.

"The amount of defensive magic placed on these gates are absurd..." Noelle murmured as she inspects the gates in front of her.

"Whoever's done this really doesn't anyone in there..." Finral scratches his head. "I wonder if can breach into it..." Finral then opens his grimoire. "[Spatial Magic: Backdoor Breach]."

A portal appears on the stone gate's surface. Finral tries to enter through the gate.

Upon entry, he is immediately sent flying out and hits the wall towards the other side of the room.

"... Okay, using magic isn't an option." Jericho stated. He then brushes his hands against the gate with his eyes closed.

"Jericho?" Yuno asks. "What are you doing?"

"I checking for the gate's structure using _ki_." He replied.

"Now that you mention it." Yuno thought back to that night of initiation when Jericho shattered that boulder without his magic. "What's ki all about?"

"Allow me to explain." Jericho stated. "Ki is a principal that which all physical objects in the world abide to. It's like mana, but at the same time, its not. Where as mana allows us to control the world, ki is the force that controls us, both physically, and spiritually."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with the stone gate?" Yuno asks.

"Remember that time that I shattered that rock during the initiation?" Jericho replied. "Right now, I'm trying to figure out the internal structure of the stone gate, and once I find it, I then need to calculate the right amount of my own ki to insert into it and hopefully, get it right."

"What happens if you get it wrong then?" Yuno then walks toward the gate's sides.

"The bones in arm will shatter like glass to a flying brick from the sheer whiplash." He replied in a blunt tone. "Now that I think about it, how thick is this gate anyway?"

"Oh! I think I remember!" Mimosa shouted out.

"Really!?" Jericho piped out. "Then how thick!?"

"I think... _12 feet_?"

The ex-royalty then lets out a frustrated groan as he facepalms. "We're gonna be here for a while-"

A sound of s _omething_ flying off was heard.

The remaining Magic Knights look up, revealing _Luck_ flying off somewhere.

"DON'T THINK YOU CAN HIDE FROM ME, DIPSHITS!"

A massive cloud of kicked-up dirt explodes behind the rock cover above their heads. Out of the explosion came out two figures.

One was Lotus, and the other was _Fanzell_.

"M-MR. KRUGER!?" Yuno cried out. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE WITH HIM!?" He pointed towards Jericho.

"Hold on for a second. Need to play catch-up." He then turns to Lotus, whispering something into his ear.

"I'm assuming that you've already met?"

"Guilty as charged. But what do you expect me to do? Kill them and give them a reason to be really mad at me?"

"Point, but how did that kid managed to find us-"

"EYES OVER HERE, YOU OLD FUCKS!" Luck then comes crashing down like lightning that he currently is.

"Okay, first young man, I need you to give me some yuls for your foul language." Lotus then takes out and rattles his swear jar. "Second, how did you know that we were hiding? I could've sworn my [Smoke Magic: Hermit's Thick Smoke] kept both of our mana signatures hidden."

"Really doesn't help much if you smell like Captain Yami."

 **Back at the Black Bull's base...**

Captain Yami sneezes while in the bathroom stall.

 _"Maybe I'll give Finral twice the beating when he gets back..."_ He then blows out a puff of smoke.

 **Back in the Dungeon's Depths...**

Lotus then sniffs on his sleeve. "Do I smell that bad, Fanzell?"

"How long has it been since you've bathed?" The red-haired man asked.

"It's only been two days, I swear."

"LESS TALK! MORE FIGHT!" Luck then comes flying towards the two with a lightning-fast kick.

A tendril of smoke grabs Luck by his ankle and tosses him aside. "Excuse you, adults are talking."

"ENOUGH OF THAT!" Yuno yells out. "WHY ARE YOU WITH A DIAMOND KINGDOM MAGE!?"

With a sigh, Fanzell takes out his own grimoire, which reveals itself to bear the crest of the Diamond Kingdom.

Yuno's eyes open in shock. "Then the story of you defecting was lie..."

"No kid." Fanzell replied. "I defected the Diamond Kingdom over a year ago. He and his family, I took them in about a month ago. And before I knew it, me and my finance were running an underground safehouse system for the oncoming Diamond Kingdom refugees."

"Then what about him?" Yuno points towards the downed [Crystal Magic] user. "I took a closer look at his grimoire and it has the same brand as yours. Care to explain, Lotus!?"

"I brought him with me." Lotus admitted. "His name is Mars, and happens to be Fanzell's student before well... he ended up like the way he is."

"I couldn't believe that they would do such a thing..." Fanzell lamented. "That monster Morris hollowed him like an eggshell just for his sick _'experiments'_..." He winces in horror for a brief moment. " _'Good of the Kingdom'_ , my boot..."

"Wait, so you're saying that he's the rumored secret weapon that the Diamond Kingdom has been developing!?" Jericho yelled out from the distance.

 _"Wait."_ Jericho's thought then begins to race. _"That stitched-up grimoire... two colors... [Crystal Magic] and... oh fuck."_

"YUNO! GET AWAY FROM-"

Klaus's [Straitjacket] explodes off of Mars next to Yuno in a radiant conflagration.

Out came Mars, now cloaked in a robe of _fire_.

"[Fire Recovery Magic: Phoenix Robe]." The flames on Mars then begin to heal his cuts and wounds at an alarming rate.

"Yeah... about him being the secret weapon..." Lotus commented. "Morris was crazy enough to embed the poor kid with _two_ affinities. I really loathe the guy like everyone else in this room, but credit where credit's due."

Mars then floats next to Lotus.

"He works fast."

Mars then turns toward Lotus. "Master, your orders."

"Pull back and recover." Lotus stated. "Let the grown-ups handle this."

"Affirmative." Mars then heads towards a safe space with his [Phoenix Robe] on him.

"Really wish that he wouldn't refer to us as 'master'..." Fanzell grumbled.

"We'll work on that later." Lotus then opens his grimoire. "I'll provide support-"

"LIKE HELL YOU ARE, OLD FART!" Luck then jumps onto the hapless Lotus.

... Or so he thought, right before Luck gets entrapped into a bundle of smoke once more.

"... On second thought, I'll keep him restrained." Lotus spoke out.

"Works for me." Fanzell then approaches Yuno without a trace of fear.

Yuno readies his grimoire as he is then joined by Noelle, her grimoire and wand at the ready.

"You sure about this?" Yuno asked Noelle.

"I'm not letting you go on your own like this!" Noelle declared. "If you have any objections, then shove it!"

Yuno faintly smiles. "Then don't hold back, you hear me?"

"Hmph. Right back at you."

In front of the two, Fanzell opens his grimoire and draws his sword from his belt. "I'm only going to say this once."

Wind then surrounds the sword, elongated its blade in a sheathe of white wind.

"Move, or someone's going to get seriously hurt." He then points blade towards the two.

Not one budges a single step.

Fanzell sighs out a small breath as the grip on his blade tightens.

"You've asked for it."

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** I've been pushing my a bit lately.

First, my Gundam IBO AU fic. Finished the first chapter and I'm holding it off until someone reads it.

Although I may be pushing it since that anime has lost its relevance, but I'm holding it out until _Urdr-Hunt_ goes in knee-deep.

But once that ship sails and no one has read it, then I'm cutting it off.

Second, Dungeon Exploration Arc has been really hard to write.

Not that's any less enjoyable to write of course, but I might need a break sometime.

Dunno when, though.

Third, the way that I've wrote Mars.

Unlike the anime's version, Mars here is _borderline robotic_.

Reason why? Morris.

Make of that what you will.

And finally, Fanzell is now on Lotus's side.

Or is Lotus on Fanzell's side?

You the readers decide!

So, what do you guys think of this multi-parter so far?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience is thinking.


	19. Saga 19: Bad Company Part 3

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 19: Bad Company Part 3**

* * *

 **Dungeon Depths, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

Fanzell then charges in with his wind blade in hand.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Slashing Wind Emperor- Winter Wind]!" Fanzell swings out his sword in a fan-like pattern and smaller blades of wind shoot out towards the two out of its arc.

"Get down!" Yuno then rolls under the blades of wind with Noelle ducking under them. Yuno then opens his grimoire for his counterattack. "[Wind Magic: Crescent Moon Sickle]!"

A crescent blade of wind swings out of his arms and flies toward the red-haired man.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Slashing Wind Emperor- Autumn Rain]!" Fanzell does an overhead slash with his blade, causing a strong downdraft that swats the blade downwards, kicking up a large cloud of dust between Fanzell and the Black Bulls.

Out of the dust came out Yuno, now with his hand encased in a ball of wind.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble- Repulsor]!" Yuno's fist of wind connects to the red-haired man's side hips.

The [Air Bubble] explodes upon contact, sending Fanzell sailing across the room and towards the wall.

"Oww..." Fanzell gets up with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "That really hurt, you know..."

His grimoire opens up.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Dancing Wind Empress]." His broadword-like blade of wind transforms into a thinner blade, but its length was twice as long as his [Slashing Wind Emperor].

"And to top it all off, [Wind Recovery Magic: Dancing Wind Empress- Spring Breeze]." A small gust of wind surrounds the red-haired man, healing him, and applies a pair of small wings of wind around each of his feet.

"Ah. Much better." He then readies his blade towards Yuno. "Now come and get some."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." He then opens his grimoire. "[Wind Creation Magic: Swift White Hawk]."

A bird of prey composed of wind is summoned onto Yuno's forearm. He then flings his arm, signaling the bird to swoop towards the swordsman.

"Naive!" The bird dissipates upon being parried by his [Dancing Wind Empress].

But behind the [Swift White Hawk], came a ball of compressed air.

The ball makes contact with the man, causing it to explode into a dizzying gust of wind, sending him flying upwards towards the ceiling.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Dancing Wind Empress- Summer Draft]!" Fanzell swings his sword upwards, sending up blades of wind and causing an updraft that slows his fall back down.

He did not realized that he flipped Noelle's skirt upwards, much to his ignorance and the ire of the Silva girl.

"PERVERT!" She then opens her grimoire and readies her Aquila. "[Water Magic: Naga's Fang]!"

A sharp blast of water fires out aimed toward the suspended Fanzell.

... But the blast takes a sharp turn, heading towards Lotus.

"LOTUS! SHE'S AIMING FOR YOU!"

The blast connects, kicking up a cloud of smoke.

"LOTUS!" Fanzell roars out.

"Hey hey. Don't kill me off just yet." The man turns out fine. "[Smoke Creation Magic: Dummy Haze]."

In place of where Lotus once stood, a smoke clone with a hole in its torso stood.

"You could've really hurt someone, you know." Lotus chided at Noelle.

"ISN'T THAT THE WHOLE POINT ON WHAT WE'RE ALL DOING RIGHT NOW!?" She replied

"You have a point." Fanzell states as he lands back on the ground on his feet. "Which is why I'm giving you a time-out."

His [Dancing Wind Empress] changes back into [Slashing Wind Emperor].

"[Wind Binding Magic: Slashing Wind Emperor- Whirlwind]!" He swings his sword towards the girl, sending a gust of wind that eventually traps her in a violent vortex of wind.

"Noelle!" Yuno then tries to dash to her recuse, but his trail is cut off by one of [Winter Wind]'s blades.

"Sorry kid." He stated towards the youth. "You're facing me."

Yuno readies grimoire.

"That's more like it." He then readies his Estoc. "[Wind Creation Magic: Wayward Wind Fool]!"

His broadsword then transforms into a falchion of wind.

"Now come and get some." He states as he goes into a _Nebenhut_ stance.

As for Lotus and Luck, the man was currently holding the boy hostage as the two [Wind Magic] users were clashing.

"So kid." Lotus tried to talk to the struggling boy. "Why do you act the way you are?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Luck responded in a _deranged_ tone. "If I see strong guys that I can beat up, then why even bother resisting?"

"I get what you mean." Lotus replied. "Heck, I know a few guys who joined the Diamond Kingdom's Royal Legion for that reason. What I don't get however, is what's driving you." He then turns his gaze towards the youth as he strokes his goatee. "So what happened to make you the way you are?"

Luck snorts out a short laugh before he spoke. "I really don't tell anyone how I feel, but if you really insist, then you'll have to promise me to fight me once I'm finished!"

Lotus then comes to a fork in his mental road.

Should he take caution and heed the youth's warning? He was, after all, a runner, never a fighter. Also, his priority is to ensure that no deaths occur during his personal mission. His code of honor of never hurting the innocent has gotten him through over 20 years of service completely _whole_. It's because that he never strayed from his values that he remained wholly human in an inhumane reign in the Diamond Kingdom, and even managed to start a family with his childhood friend, now a mother who gave him three beautiful daughters that to this day, he lives for.

In short, he's got way too much to lose.

Or should he listen to this boy's tale and risk his life and limb? Because even though he needs to live in order for his family, his principals wouldn't allow him to abandon a child to his suffering, let alone, an internal one. If he can help this troubled youth in any regard, then yes, he might be labeled as a bleeding tank, but hey.

He's always been one since his first daughter was born, he had every right to be sentimental as possible, illogical as it may be.

But that's a doting parent for you. Fatherly instincts tend to curb logic, even if the kid in front of him wants his head separated from his neck out of pure sadism.

"Alright." He then uses one of his tendrils to raise himself toward's Luck's level. "I'll keep my promise then. Father's honor."

"Hehe~" The youth chuckled. "Then let's start with the fact that I never had a dad and the fact that my mom kept beating the crap out of me!"

Lotus's eyes open up wide upon hearing that statement. A boy from a broken home without a father and an abusive mother, _three_ red flags for any developing child.

 _Strike one._

"But things kinda turned around when I beat up a Noble kid during a sparring match at my chapel school!" He piped. "After that, she stopped beating me, strange men no long came by my house to see my mom, and I can see mom at home more often!"

 _Another_ red flag. The boy's mother is heavily implied to be a _sex worker_ from that boy's statement. No child- _no_.

No _mother_ with a child deserves that kind of fate.

 _Strike two._

"Then one night, she took me out for dinner, and we got to see around town!" Luck beamed. "She then showed me a place where I can fight as many strong people as I want! There were a lot of people around me, but hey, I got to punch a lot of things during my time there! Plus I got to fight animals, other mages, and when I was finished, my earned a lot of yuls and more I won in those fights, the more better off we were!"

Okay.

 ** _MAJOR RED FLAG._**

The boy's mother essentially turned this boy into her own personal _gladiator_ , and it's also heavily implied that the mother didn't do _anything_ to curb the boy's awakened bloodlust for his own good.

Rather, she _profited_ from it.

The boy was way _out_.

"But..." The youth then adopts a slightly somber expression. "She died a few weeks after, and with the rest of the yuls that my mom earned, I bought her a coffin to bury her." He stated in a plain tone. "But after the service, all the money that my mom earned was gone, and when I saw one of them running off with the sack, I went after him, but all I've got was a half of a yul split right down the middle."

He then goes back to his cheery self. "But that all turned out good in the end~" He beamed. "I got to meet Captain Yami after he beat the crap out of me, and ever since then, I've got to beat up a lot of strong guys and I finally got a working roof over my head, so yeah! I'm all good~"

Lotus just stares at the boy in complete _horror_.

"So come on, come on!" The boy then begins to flail in his smoke bindings, with his face now bearing a crazed grin. **"Fight me, fight me, fight me, fight me, fight me, fight me~ I need to bring your head back to mom _so she can praise me!_ "**

The bindings around the boy then begin to _strain_.

 _ **"So she can pet me!"**_

Lightning then begins to radiate around the boy.

 _ **"SO SHE CAN LOVE ME!"**_

The [Binding Cross Prison] explodes into a _tempest_ , evaporating the smoke bindings in an instant.

"Aw shoot..." Lotus mumbled. "I might've goofed up real bad..."

 _ **"So I have to win..."**_ The boy's voice _echoed_.

 _ **"I have to win..."**_

 _ **"I have to win..."**_

 _ **"Win... win... win, win, win, win, win, win, Win! Win! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIIIIIIIIIIIINN!"**_

The boy lunges towards Lotus like a starved wolf upon its long-awaited meal.

 **"[Lightning Magic: Over-Limit Form]!"**

The boy disappears from Lotus's sight.

A _stinging_ kick to his upper right arm sends him barreling towards the wall next to him.

 _"Oh crud."_ Lotus thought as he winced in pain. _"... I'm going to most likely die here."_

 _ **"** h_ **E _y_** O **l** _ **D**_ f **A _r_** T **."** The boy's voice becomes _garbled_ and _twisted_ beyond human comprehension. _ **"**_ y **o _u_** _' **v**_ **e** g _o_ t t **e** _n_ s _ **e**_ c _on_ **d** s b **e** for **e** _**i**_ c _o_ M ** _e_** for **_you_** r _wri_ **nKL** Y as ** _s_** ** _."_** The boy then gets on all of his fours, ready to pounce.

 **"Ten!"**

 **"Nine!"**

 **"Eight!"**

 **"Seven!'**

 **"Six!"**

 **"Five!"**

 **"Four!"**

 **"THREE!"**

 **"TWO!"**

 **"ONE!"**

The boy _smiles_.

 ** _"Time to die~❤ "_**

The boy comes toward the downed ex-general in a flash.

But just before the youth can maim the man, a diamond-studded youth blocks the fatal blow with a large round shield made of diamond.

"[Crystal Creation Magic: Pallas Aegis]." He stated as he shoved off Luck off of the shield. "General Lotus's safety... confirmed."

"Thanks for saving my hide, kiddo..." He sighed out.

"Affirmative." Mars then walks toward Luck. "New objective confirmed..." His grimoire then opens up in front of him. "New objective: eliminate the [Lightning Magic] user with extreme prejudice." Spiked crystal orbs then began to orbit around him. "[Crystal Creation Magic: Caucasian Hail]."

 **"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!"** The boy cheered out. **"I'm always up for a three-way!"**

His whole body then begins to _squirm_ and _spasm_ all over in pure _ecstasy_.

 **"I CAN'T WAIT ANYMORE!"** The boy _screeched_ out. **"JUST THINKING ABOUT ME BEATING YOU UP AND YOUR MAGIC BEATING OFF OF ME GETS MY BLOOD PUMPING! I'M _FUCKING_ HARD AS A _DIAMOND_ , BUDDY OL' PAL! SO DON'T HOLD BACK!"**

Luck then lets out an _orgasmic_ moan as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and his spine arches backwards, leaving his head dangling down to his thighs.

"... Target neutralized." Mars states upon seeing the boy faint from his own _perversions_.

 _"Seeing that shaved off a good few years of my life..."_ He thought while he rubbed his temples. _"Poor kid's very own soul is beyond destroyed-"_

Lotus then hears a _crunching_ sound.

And no, that's not his own aging spine.

But rather, _the boy's_.

Luck's arched back spine suddenly snaps itself back forward, his head creaks down back face-forward, and his rolled-back eyes now roll down back its pupils.

The boy's bloodlust has now reached an _alarming all-time high levels of **demented**_.

 **"Ready or not..."**

The smile is now a perfect and _blank-black_ crescent moon.

 **"HERE I COME~❤!"**

At the gates, Jericho was still analyzing the gate's structure.

"12 feet thick, reinforced with nine different kinds of defensive magic, six different kinds of minerals composing this stone gate, and only 3 entry points where ki can only make a small dent of it..." Jericho mumbled out as he collected his thoughts.

He then takes in a small breath of air before placing his fingertips onto the masonry.

"I've only got one three chances at this..." Jericho takes in a sharp inhale into his lungs as he then begins to concentrate all of his ki into a singular path.

His blood in his vessels are now flowing his ki into the point of the gate's entry.

His muscles in his whole body begin to relax in order for him to properly push out his ki though a singular point and not just let it explode wildly.

His mind is now clear of all thought. No doubts, no hopes, no dreams, no reminiscence, nor aspirations.

In his new world, there are only three things.

The door.

The person in front of it.

And the _ki_.

With a resounding roar that echoed over the ensuing carnage behind him, Jericho coils his fingers into a ball against the stone gate.

The gates in front of everyone shoot up a massive fissure across its center.

"Jericho..." Mimosa watched in awe. "Y-You did it-"

The young man roars out in unbearable agony, his massive body now writhing on the stone floor, his right arm, now completely bruised purple and twisted into a bloody _bramble_ of a limb.

"FUCK!" Jericho roared out in pain. "FUCK!"

"JERICHO!" Finral then runs toward the downed Black Bull Knight. He then stops upon seeing his arm. "Holy shit..."

"Yeah..." He gasped out through his pain. "I kinda underestimated the barrier's properties and it's..." Jericho stops for a moment grit his teeth.

"Finral!" Mimosa called out to Finral. "I need you to hold him down while I heal him!"

"R-R-Right!" The dandy then tries to hold down the undamaged parts of Jericho's arm, which is the size of _both_ of his legs combined.

Jericho's arm was about muscular and well-built as Captain Yami, if not, _more_.

And that door reduced it to _this_.

"[Plant Recovery Magic: Dream-Healing Flower Cradle]!"

But the the basket was a size of an arm cast. Particles of mana surround the brutally-incapacitated arm in hopes of healing it.

"Are you feeling any better?" Mimosa asked in a concerned tone.

"I would reassure you on saying that I'm alright, but as you can see, I might want take a step back." Jericho winced out.

"Well on the bright side." Finral then looks at the dented gates. "At least it should be a lot easier to break down the gates-"

"About that." Jericho cut in. "That's _not_ the case."

"Eh?" Finral sweatdropped. "What do you mean by that?"

"After I dented the gates, the rebound sent my ki back into my arm, causing the force that I applied to the gates to be sent back into me." Jericho stated.

"What does that even mean!?" Mimosa asked.

"You see what I did to that gate over there?" Jericho points towards the cracked gates with his still intact left arm. " _That_ happened to my right arm."

"Oh my god..." Mimosa gasp upon such horrific revelation.

"They really don't want us to go in there, do they?" Finral stated grimly.

"But however, that doesn't mean it invincible." Jericho pointed out.

"What do mean by that?" Mimosa asked.

"The kind of magic it used." Jericho continued. "Calling it a longshot, but I think it might be the long-lost [Corporeal Magic: Lifelink]."

"What does that do!?" Finral asked.

"That magic allows the user to pass on its injuries back onto the person who inflicted it." He stated. "Simply put, any damage we do to that gate will immediately be inflicted by _us_."

"But when Klaus tried to batter it down, why wasn't he injured?" Mimosa asked.

"I think _I_ might've triggered it." Jericho replied. "Klaus couldn't even get past the first line of defense, am I correct?"

The redhead girl nods.

"Me on the other hand, I managed to break through _five_ layers with my ki." He stated. "Considering my state of injury, I think that magic was triggered after the fourth layer."

"So when you're all healed up, you'll be able to break it down, right!?" Finral asked.

"About that..." Jericho trailed off.

 _"Oh no."_ Finral and Mimosa both thought.

"If I go in and even so much as _touch_ the damn gate, I'm going to _re-break_ my arm, or something even _worse_ will happen to me."

"SO NOW WHAT!?" Finral yelled out. "HOW ARE WE EVEN GOING TO GET PAST IT IF IT'S GOING TO LITERALLY COST AN ARM AND A LEG TO BREAK THROUGH!?"

"A relatively simple solution, actually." Jericho answered. "But you're not going to like it."

The [Dream-Healing Flower Cradle] releases Jericho's now healed, but heavily-scarred arm.

"It's all healed now." Mimosa stated.

"Thanks." Jericho then gets up, and heads towards the gate.

"WAIT!" Finral cried out. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO LIKE YOUR PLAN!?"

Jericho then looks back at the two with a solemn expression.

"Mimosa, get ready to heal me back up should my whole body be destroyed from the backlash."

"Wait, WHAT!?" Mimosa cried out.

"The other option is to have someone else do it, but they might die because they might not do enough damage while taking on my own injuries." Jericho stated.

"Well..." Finral trails off. "... If you say so-"

Suddenly landing on the fractured gates, was Mars.

The gate's [Corporeal Magic: Lifelink] activates, wreaking a thousand fatal injuries onto the [Crystal Magic] user's body.

The mage is then sent plunging back to the earth, with his body in shambles.

Upon landing on the stone floor, Mars _immediately_ gets back up on his _feet_ , covered in a robe of flames.

"[Fire Recovery Magic: Phoenix Robe]." Mars's injuries heal up in an _instant_.

 **"GET BACK HERE!"** Luck screeched out from his bloodlust. **"I AIN'T DONE WITH YOUR ASS YET!"**

The two then get back to their fight.

"Of course..." Jericho surmises. "That's it!"

He then turns to Mimosa. "Mimosa!"

"Y-Yes!?" She stutters out.

"I need your help." He stated.

"O-Of course!" She replied. "I'll do what I can to help you!"

"Good! Then here's my plan..."

Back to Yuno, Noelle, and Fanzell's confrontation, the whole fight was nothing short of an endless back-and-forth stalemate.

... Except for Noelle, who's still trapped in the [Whirlwind], which is lifting her up into the air and spinning her around, guaranteed to make anyone go through the world's most brutal case of motion sickness.

Within the funnel cloud, Noelle now severely regrets on eating eggs and sausage for breakfast this morning, for they've already come out and just now stained her clothes and face.

As for Yuno and Fanzell outside, the two were still at it, now both of them bloodied and gored beyond human limits.

"[Wind Magic: Vacuum Grenade]!" A ball of compressed air is slung towards the red-haired man.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Wayward Wind Fool- Blowback]!" Fanzell does a backhand swing with his sword, sending a gust of several small crescent wind blades to intercept the bomb of air.

The two are sent back flying upon the explosion of air.

Both Yuno and Fanzell get up slowly.

The red-haired man wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his lip with his sleeve.

Yuno places his headband-wrapped wrist onto his temple.

"Asta..." Yuno then looked at the sash wrapped onto his wrist. He then wipes his eyes with it as he stands up.

"C'mon kid..." Fanzell, not looking any better then Yuno currently, struggles to stay on his feet. "Quit making it worse for yourself already..."

"... I refuse." Yuno heaved out as he stood his ground.

"Fine." Fanzell then releases Noelle from [Whirlwind].

The Silva girl was a _mess_ , to say the least, let alone even in a state to even fight.

"Have it your way." He then opens his grimoire with whatever waning strength he had left in his body.

The shape of his wind blade then begins to change once more.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Relentless Wind Justice]." The falchion then transforms into a large xiphos.

Yuno then opens his grimoire once more, ready to make his last stand.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Wind Blades Shower + Swift White Hawk]." Several blades of wind and a white wind hawk appear around him.

"Huh." Fanzell gasped out. "One last stand?"

"No." Yuno gasped out. "I'm ending this once and for all."

The red-haired man smiles. "You took the words out of my mouth."

"Enough bullshit." Yuno then sends the blades flying towards Fanzell.

"THEN HAVE AT YOU!" Fanzell roars out as he runs towards the [Wind Blades Shower] with his grimoire open. **"[Wind Creation Magic: Relentless Wind Justice- Sundowner]!"**

A strong breeze of hot wind blows against Yuno, sending the blades off-course and making the falcon of wind dissipate.

"GAME OVER KID!" Fanzell then charges towards Yuno, blade-first.

"NOT YET!" Yuno then summons another [Swift White Hawk] to his side. "GO!"

The hawk then swiftly soars towards Fanzell.

"TOO EASY!" The hawk dissipates upon being struck by [Relentless Wind Justice], and behind the hawk was another ball of compressed air.

He merely sidesteps the coming [Vacuum Grenade]. "THE SAME TRICK AIN'T GONNA WORK TWICE-"

In front of Fanzell's line of sight, the youth was nowhere to be found.

 _"Where the hell did that kid go?"_ While Fanzell himself was still running forward, his thoughts then begin to race.

He looked to his left. Not there.

He looked to his right. Not there.

He looked downwards. Not even in the slightest.

He then stops to look behind. Not a soul but Lotus, Mars, and that [Lightning Magic] user, still having at it at one and another.

"Well shit, then that only leaves...!"

He then looks upwards.

Nothing.

"Wait, then where the hell did he go-"

His head is then jerked downwards upon being hit by something onto the top of his head.

Above Fanzell's downed head was Yuno, with his fist swung back from him punching Fanzell's head, but partially _invisible_.

The youth then tumbles and rolls back down to the hard stone floor.

"Oww..." Fanzell groans as his sword goes back to a normal estoc. "Where the hell were you?"

Yuno weakly smiles while lying on his back. "... I was here the whole time."

The red-haired man weakly laughs. "... So you figured out that little trick, huh?"

"... What trick?" Yuno asked.

The man just lets out a small snort. "... Forget what I said kid, you're on your own from there."

A portal is then opened from below Yuno, sending him away from the firing lines and back to where Finral was.

"... Thanks." Yuno said.

"No problem." Finral reassured. "It's my job as your senior to make sure that you don't die."

Next to Yuno, Noelle appears from the portal above.

"... Somebody stop the world..." Noelle moaned out from her delirium. "I want to get off..."

"Hang in there." Mimosa then approaches the two and puts the two of them in the same [Dream-Healing Flower Cradle]. "Sorry. I'm kinda running a little low here..."

"Here." Yuno then pulls out a vial of Moguro Leaf Juice. "Drink this. It'll help you restore mana faster."

"Thanks." Mimosa then takes the vial, pulls the cork off with her teeth, and down the pasty-green liquid. "Oh my..." She exclaimed. "It's rather bitter..."

"You'll get used to it." Yuno then closes his eyes as he then lets the healing basket do its job.

Meanwhile, Lotus and Mars were fending off Luck in his [Over-Limit Form].

... Well, more like only Mars was fending off the prepubescent-looking berserker. Lotus was slowly dragging Fanzell back to the back lines.

"You okay there, buddy?" Lotus asked the _brutalized_ Fanzell.

"These kids are _fucking_ brutal man." He then takes out a yul and places it inside Lotus's swear jar. "... So no [Phoenix Robe] anytime soon?"

"We'll simply make do then."

Lotus then takes out a white roll of tourniquet, a vial of clear liquid, and a swab of cotton from his shoulder bag.

Meanwhile the other two ahead of them were now having at one and another.

The word "brutal" doesn't even describe the ensuing carnage.

Mars's [Caucasian Hail] was down to two satellites, and Luck was still moving despite his _numerous_ ripped tendons on his arms and legs, his nose and eyes spewing out blood, and in short, not even in a state a mere semblance of proper bodily function at this point.

He was now a _literal puppet_ of his own bloodlust.

 **"[Lightning Creation Magic: Thunder God's Blade]."**

A sword of pure lightning spikes towards Mars.

Mars intercepts it with the last of his [Caucasian Hail] surrounding him, causing the sword to explode in a blinding flash.

 **"[Lightning Magic: Flash Burn]."**

A flash of light shines towards Mars, causing a few cuts and burns to form onto his now-scarred skin.

Out of the light, Luck pounces towards Mars.

Mars coats his arms with diamond and drives his fist into the boy's face, sending him barreling towards the fractured door.

 **"LUCK!"**

The youth hits the gates.

[Corporeal Magic: Lifelink] activates.

The gate's structural damage is then translated into Luck's body into _physical trauma_.

Blood gushs out of the youth's chest as he plummets towards the ground.

"LUCK!" Jericho roars out.

A portal opens beneath Luck's falling path, with Finral catching his broken body before the earth could.

"Oh my god..." Finral gasped. "MIMOSA-"

Suddenly, Luck's broken body then begins to float on its own.

"... Luck?" Finral asked.

His eyes then open, glowing in a pale aquamarine light.

 **"Win..."** Luck droned out.

His broken body then puts itself back together, _on its own_.

 **"WIN!"** His grimoire then opens up its pages, inscribing a _new spell_.

 **"[Lightning Spirit Magic: Spirit Dive, Fulgora]."**

A _goddess of lightning_ appears behind the puppet-like Luck. Strings of lightning then shoot out of her fingertips, turning Luck from a literal puppet to an _actual puppet_.

 _ **"Win."** _The goddess orders. _**"I mandate thee."**_

Luck then bolts toward Mars like a bat out of hell.

Mars simply punches his face, sending the youth flying back to his back.

 _ **"Stand."**_

Luck stands as his fractured face puts itself back together.

 _ **"Kill him."**_

Luck opens his grimoire, summoning forth an army of himself made entirely of lightning.

"JERICHO!" Finral yells over the storm created by the goddess. "WHAT'S GOING ON!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Jericho roared out. "BUT I THINK LUCK CREATED A _FAKE_ LIGHTNING SPIRIT OUT OF PURE WILL!" He stated. "BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S CREATING IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"IT'S HIS MOTHER!"

The two look towards the front, with Lotus cupping his mouth.

"THE MEMORIES OF HIS ABUSIVE MOTHER!" He yelled out. "I THINK THE COLLECTIVE TRAUMA RESURFACING TO HIS BRAIN IS WHAT'S CAUSING IT!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!?" Mimosa yelled towards the other side. "ARE YOU SAYING THAT SO-CALLED GODDESS IS ACTUALLY HIS MOTHER!?"

"LOOKS LIKE IT!" Jericho stated. "AND THE PUPPET IMAGERY IS GIVING ME REALLY DISTURBING IMPLICATIONS!"

"Oh god..." Mimosa gasped horrifically. " Even I don't think I can ever heal that wound..."

In one of the [Dream-Healing Flower Cradles], Klaus and Corrin wake up to see pure hell in front of them.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Klaus roared out.

"Uhh, yeah. Permission to go back to being unconscious, commander?" Corrin stated.

"PERMISSION DENIED!" Klaus barks over the hellscape. "THE GOLDEN DAWN SHALL NEVER RETREAT-"

The [Spirit Dive]-possessed Luck crashes towards the wall next to the basket that the two were currently in.

 _ **"Stand."**_ The goddess's _booming_ voice commanded.

Luck slumps back forward, right before shooting back towards Mars.

"... If we get out of here alive, drinks are on me tonight." Klaus states.

Corrin wordlessly nods.

At the other [Dream-Healing Flower Cradle], both Yuno and Noelle slowly wake up to also find the hell that was opened before them.

"Eh!? YUNO!?" Noelle screeches out. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEXT TO ME... OHMYGODWHATTHEFUCKISGOINGON!?"

"... We're in hell." Yuno replied.

Meanwhile, Mars was now visibly struggling.

The lightning clones/suicide bombers were down, but that still left him with a goddess-possessed lunatic who is causing more wounds then his [Phoenix Robe] can heal him.

Luck on the other hand, was vastly different.

He was no longer even _alive_.

Yet his mana is burning like the _sun_ itself.

No longer he was known as "Luck".

No longer he was even a puppet of his own bloodlust.

No longer he was even remotely a _human_.

He is now **[Lightning]** itself.

"Target's performance is currently _500%_ higher then normal." Mars analyzed. "Commencing-"

Before Mars can finish his order, the [Lightning] strikes upon Mars's gem embedded on his forehead.

The burnt gem falls off of his forehead, revealing a gaping hole on his forehead.

"... Did he just remove Mars's _limiter_?" Lotus spoke out.

"Wait, limiter?" Fanzell asked.

Mars's mana then skyrockets _beyond_ its normal threshold.

"Oh fuck..." Jericho cursed. "Somehow, I think the situation has gotten even _worse_."

"SCREW THIS!" Finral then opens his grimoire, opening a portal back out. "WE'RE OUT OF HERE-"

He then notices that his portal was barely a size of a _needle's eye_.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Finral screeched out.

"I THINK ALL THE MANA AROUND THE WHOLE DUNGEON IS BEING CONCENTRATED TOWARDS MARS!" Jericho roared out. "WE CAN'T USE MAGIC LIKE THIS!?"

"NOW WHAT DO WE DO!?" Noelle screeched out.

Before anyone in the chambers can do anything, the room's temperature then begins steadily _increase_.

In one of the entrances, a bright _blue_ glow was emitted from the other side.

"FIND COVER!"

Everyone then scrambles to get behind whatever natural cover was provided.

And out of the entrance, came out a _dragon_.

And on its back was a woman with blank eyes of pure hate.

"Humans..." The woman _hissed_ out.

The _blue flames_ around both the woman and her mount dragon then begin to _melt_ the masonry around her.

"... I hate hate hate hate hate hate... **hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate HATE YOU!** "

She then opens her grimoire.

 **"[Fire Spirit Magic: Salamander Meteor** **Inferno** **]!"**

A giant sphere of bright blue flame forms over the Salamander's mouth, right before it plummets towards the ground below.

The whole room explodes into a _heavenly flash_ and _hellish conflagration_ of blue flames.

Once the whole room goes quiet, Yuno, Noelle, Jericho, and Finral peeks from the corner to see the landscape.

The whole room was now reduced to a gaping pit.

And Mars and Luck were somehow _alive_ , not even remotely burnt.

"Holy crap..." Finral gasped out. "I don't I'll ask her out anytime soon..."

The other three nod without uttering a word.

As for the two ex-Diamond Kingdom Knights, they were faring just fine.

... Except for Fanzell.

"... Fana?" Fanzell muttered out.

"Wait, that's her?" Lotus whispered out. "But I thought you told me that she was dead!"

Fana then torques her head towards the two.

"... We're boned, aren't we?"

"Somebody tell my family that I love them..."

 **"Die-"**

Before the flames can be fired, a gigantic crystal hammer pounds onto the Salamander's stomach, jerking it upward.

The hammer returns to Mars, but now his eyes are now glowing _red_.

Upon seeing the [Crystal Magic] user, Fana's head then goes into a brutal ache.

 **"WHAT THE HELL!?"** Fana screeched out. **"WHY ARE YOU CALLING OUT FOR HIM, YOU DAMN HUMAN!?"**

Inside her head, _another Fana_ was _tearfully_ calling out to him.

 _"MARS!"_ She cried out. _"MARS!"_

 **"SHUT UP YOU DAMN INSECT!"** "Fana" then smacks the other Fana upside the head.

Mars however, was faring _even worse_.

 **"ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE ELIMINATE..."**

His grimoire then opens up.

 **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Herculean Arsenal]."**

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** From bad to worse, anyone?

Gave Fanzell's sword-related magic Tarot motifs.

Jericho goes through Deku-levels of physical trauma.

Luck is now a _literal zombie_ of his mommy's ghost.

And two childhood friends are reunited in the worst way imaginable.

Good times.

So what do you think of this chapter?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience is thinking.


	20. Saga 20: Bad Company Part 4

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 20: Bad Company Part 4**

* * *

 **Dungeon Depths, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

 **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Herculean Arsenal]."**

Mar's body is then surrounded by multiple fragments of crystal armor plating. The armor then encases the mage's whole body, and upon the cloister's assembly, various armaments begins to form onto the armor.

The grieves turn into talon-like protrusions on the shins, his side skirt armors vaguely bared the visage of a stag on the left and a horse on the right, the shoulder armors then turn into a boar on the right and a bull on the left, a pair of bird-like wings protrude out of its back, his breastplate baring the visage of _three_ hound heads, the gauntlets begin to form themselves into crab-like pincer claws, the helmet transforms into a visage of a lion, and the most bizarre of all, _nine_ , dragon-like heads were floating around the now-one-man-army of a mage.

Ten terrible beasts of _legend_. Now _serving_ as this automation's _weapons of mass destruction_.

"What has science done...?" Fanzell spoke out in horror.

"Tell that to Morris." Lotus grimly remarked.

At the other side of the room near the gates, Yuno, Jericho, Finral, Noelle, Mimosa, Klaus, and Corrin were all watching with abject horror frozen upon their collective faces.

"So let me get this straight..." Klaus remarked. "Luck is currently possessed by his _dead mother_ , giving him an amount of power on _par_ with _Captain Vangence_ , the [Crystal Magic] user's gems on his body turn out to be his _limiters_ , resulting in _that_ upon the removal of one of them while also monopolizing _all_ of the dungeon's mana towards his own reserves, and to make matters even worse, a _fucking_ Salamander shows up out of _nowhere_ , with its flames that was already hot enough to melt through solid _rock_ , now even _hotter_ , and it's controlled by _another_ lunatic!?"

"... If I said I was _exaggerating_ , would you believe in me?" Mimosa sheepishly replied.

"You're not even exaggerating, Mimosa." Corrin stated. "You're _sugarcoating_ it."

To be fair, any sane individual seeing the three-way between _demigods_ in a closed space would drive them _beyond_ insanity.

The three then begin their offensive.

 **"[Fire Spirit Magic: Salamander Meteor Impact]!"** The Salamander's claws then form two orbs of blue fire, encasing them into a pair of knuckleguards.

 **"[Lightning Spirit Magic: Indra]."** The fake Lighting Spirit then forms a staff with spherical tips on both ends, each cage carrying a bolt of electricity.

 **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Magic: Trial #2A- Lernaean Gatling]."** All of the orbiting dragon heads then spout out triple-barreled rotary cannons, with the gun itself rolling its barrels, ready fire out an _innumerable_ volley of flames.

The three attacks connect towards each other.

The whole place then lights up like a surface of a _newborn star_.

The heat radiating from the light causes everyone's skins to boil like bacon on a pan's surface _drowned_ in oil.

The noise from the explosion was loud enough to drown out everything else out of everyone else's thoughts as it boiled their very brains like _eggs_ in a pot over flame.

And after the maddening choir of death and destruction ceases, all that remained of the chamber was a smoldering, gaping, and _abyssal_ pit.

Thankfully, the other mages were spared of such horrific fate.

... Only in _body_.

Behind one of the rocks, the Black Bulls, the Golden Dawn, and the ex-Diamond Knights were _cowering_ in complete fear.

Breathing was quickened.

Heartbeats accelerated.

And all they can do, is nothing, lest they die leaving behind _nothing_.

The three outside however, resumed their attack towards each other.

 **"[Fire Spirit Magic: Salamander Stygian Slash]!"** Salamander then swipes its claws, sending out slashes of blue flames from its claws.

 **"[Lightning Spirit Magic: Taranis]."** A wheel of of lighting forms behind the false goddess, which it begins to spin as it then begins to indiscriminately lash out numerous lightning bolts.

 **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Magic: Trial #3A- Karkinos Karambit]."** The crab-like pincers on Mar's arms begins to glow red, with heat radiating off of it's blades.

As the three continue their assault, the others continue to cower, each with their own thoughts on mind.

 _"Okay. Calm down, Jericho."_ Jericho thought. _"Assess the following; first, Mr. Voltia died and was resurrected by his mother's ghost possessing his broken body, creating a false [Lightning Spirit] and healing all of his wounds, which all of it, should be next to impossible._ _Second, an actual [Fire Spirit], Salamander, shows up, and its host is no more passive then our resurrected Black Bull here, and to make matters worse, her flames are now blue, which means that they're much hotter than regular flames, as shown by its capabilities to melt rock. And finally, Mars."_ Jericho peeks out for a bit to see him clashing against the Salamander and Fulgora at the _same time_ , _without_ losing ground. _"Whoever did this to him is either insane or brilliant. The amount of deviations taken with the human body to turn him into a killing machine is the perfect balance of power and proficiency. Those weapons, those moves, and those features. They're not for show. They're specifically designed to kill things, period."_

For Noelle, it's the following.

 _"_ _* **internal** incoherent screams of complete fear and terror*"_

... Yeah, nobody blames her.

As for Finral...

* ** _external_** incoherent screams of complete fear and terror*

... As _expected_.

For Corrin, her thoughts were all something along the lines of this thought;

 _"After the mission's over, I'm getting a drink. Hopefully I can get to my mom's wine cellar before she could..."_

For Klaus, _nothing_. For his mind was also frozen in fear along with his body.

He was too _scared_ to even think, let alone berate himself for acting like this when he's a _Golden Dawn_.

For Mimosa, she wasn't thinking at all.

She was too busy healing everyone at the moment while she was sneaking out Moguro Leaf Potions from Yuno's satchel.

For Yuno, he was terrified.

Of _himself_.

Of not being able to do anything.

 _"Why?"_ Yuno asked himself. _"Why aren't you moving? Why aren't you stopping them? Why aren't you trying to save everyone? Why?"_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Why aren't you acting like a proper **four-leaf** you are?"_

Yuno grits his teeth in frustration.

He knew that they can't just stand there and cower. Someone had to stop them somehow.

But everyone's expecting Yuno to stop them. After all, if a four-leaf can't stop them, then who will?

Yuno's legs then began to move on their own, _towards_ the firefight.

Before Yuno can go out there, something stops him from going any further.

Yuno looks behind him, seeing Jericho's scarred hand placed onto his shoulder.

"I know what you're thinking, Yuno." Jericho stated. "And I'm not going to stop you, but I need you to hear me out."

Jericho then tugs Yuno close to his face.

"Don't do it out of the obligation of the fact that you're a four-leaf." Jericho stated. "Do it because you know that you're going to _live_ through this."

"... What do you mean by that?" Yuno asked.

"Bluntly speaking." Jericho continued. "You're going to die in there if you think that you being a four-leaf gives you some sort of plot armor. I'm not saying that you shouldn't, but at least slow down, and think of a plan before you go in."

 _"Don't rush it."_ Those words from Captain Yami echoed in Yuno's head.

Yuno's head then begins to feel a lot clearer after remembering those words.

 _"Okay Yuno."_ He thought. _"Watch closely. Observe your surroundings. Hypothesize the possible solution. And then strike."_

The following is observed.

Three exceptionally overpowered mages are present, but they seem to be too preoccupied with each other as of now, the whole room was how a bottomless pit, and the only thing intact was the rubble that the other Magic Knights were hiding behind...

... And the door that inflicts [Corporeal Magic: Lifelink] on whoever it _touches_ it.

"I got one." He muttered. Yuno finally surmises a proper plan, but only factor is that one of the four people involved is guaranteed to die.

Including _Yuno_.

The youth takes in a breather, resolving himself before he steps into the freshly-carved out bowels of hell.

"Jericho." Yuno speaks to the ex-Royalty.

"I'm listening."

Yuno then faces toward Jericho.

"You had a plan for that door over there, right?"

Jericho's eyebrows perk up suddenly. "Are you sure about this?" He asked. "You do realize that it's a high-risk, low-reward plan that we're only conceiving it due to the fact that there are no other alternatives, right?"

The youth just smirks grimly.

"Says the one who's convened it in the first place."

"Touche."

In the center (what's left of it), the three recently-awakened demigods still clash their spells against each other, with not one budgeting a single inch in this contest of insanity.

 **"[Fire Spirit Magic: Salamander Hellfire Whiplash]!"** The blue dragon then begins to lash out its tail, turning it into a blade of blue flames that is swung towards Fulgora/Luck.

 **"[Lightning Spirit Magic: Zibelthiurdos]."** A butcher's blade made of lightning is then swung down towards the ruined ground and towards Fana.

 **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #4B- Erymanthian Tusks]." **The tusks of the boar head on Mar's right shoulder juts out into twin blades, glowing orange in heat. The mage then jumps in with his shoulder and their blades in the forefront towards the clashing two.

The three constructs clash towards each other, emitting an explosion of burning light that engulfs the whole room once more.

"NOW!"

Yuno then jumps out from the cover, running towards the door.

 **"HUMAN!"** Fana screeched out. **"KILL! HUMAN!"**

Her haphazardly-stitched grimoire opens up once more.

 **"[Fire Spirit Magic: Salamander Hellfire Breath]!"** The blue dragon then spits out a stream of bright blue flames.

Yuno manages to duck down below, causing the flames to hit the door.

[Corporeal Magic: Lifelink] activates.

The Salamander's chest then opens up, spraying out blood as the dragon falls to the pit.

Fana, however, was still well and _alive_.

"Shit." Yuno cursed.

The pink-haired girl then torques her head towards Yuno.

She then shoots her hand up, signaling the dragon to fly back up towards her.

Salamander flies back up, completely unscathed.

"H-HOW!?" Yuno cried out. "HOW IS IT STILL ALIVE!?"

 **"You fool."** Fana droned out. **"Salamander is made of 100% [Fire Magic]. It doesn't have a physical body to speak of."**

Yuno grits his teeth as the girl in front of him cracks open the most demented smile that he'd ever seen on a person's face.

 **"NOW DIE FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!"** Salamander then breathes out a wave of fire towards Yuno.

Before the boy can get toasted black, a portal opens beneath Yuno's feet, allowing him to escape his possible death by burning.

The boy falls into the portal and plops down right next to Finral.

"Never again." The dandy stated in a _stern_ tone.

"Don't have to tell me that twice, Finral." Yuno coughed out.

 **"THEY'LL NEVER FIND YOUR _FUCKING_ BODY!"** Fana screeched out from a distance atop of her flying Salamander. **"BY THE TIME I'M DONE WITH YOUR SCRAWNY ASS, I'LL DAMN WELL MAKE SURE THAT THEY'LL ONLY HAVE ENOUGH OF YOU LEFT OVER TO FIT IN A MATCHBOX!"**

But just before the dragon can swoop down where the Black Bulls were, Fugora/Luck grabs the Salamander with its massive hands, catching both the rider and mount in her fingers.

 **"Die."** The goddess droned as the rider and mount were slowly being crushed in her grasp. **"I mandate thee-."**

But just before the goddess can deliver her sentence, Mars swings down the titanic crystal hammer once used on the Salamander onto its head, causing both to stumble onto the ruined earth.

 **"[Crystal Creation Magic: Mjölnir]."** Mars stated as the hammer floats back towards his orbit. The armored mage then stops and begins to scan his surroundings. **"Two vital signs confirmed. Resuming offensive-."**

An explosion of fire and lightning blinds Mars, with Fulgora/Luck slugging the mage with a reformed arm of lightning, and with Fana on her Salamander in the air once more.

"So..." Finral droned out while peeking over the edge as the three resume their fight. "... Anyone got any ideas?"

"No, but I'd like to share a few things I've learned during my time out." Yuno stated.

"Is one of them on how outmatched we are?" Noelle asked. "Because I think we all got that long before you did, you four-leaf peasant."

"No." Yuno stated. "It's the fact that the three of them seem to be ignoring us completely."

Jericho then peeks out towards the carnage. "Seems like it. Provided as long as we don't directly intervene."

"So what can we do?" Finral hissed out.

"Simple." Yuno stated. "We can use the element of insignificance to our advantage." He then begins to draw something on the dirt while arranging small pebbles into certain formations until the whole thing resembled the layout of the whole chamber.

"The center, as we all just saw, is a complete _deathtrap_." Yuno pointed out. "However, the walls and the edges, narrow as it is, is relatively safe in comparison."

"Just what are you getting at, four-leaf?" Klaus interjected. "You better not thinking about escape."

"Realistically speaking commander?" Corrin then points her thumb outside and towards the caved-in exits.

The bespectacled man's glasses maladjusted from their proper place.

"I think Mr. Four-Leaf already knows." The chestnut-haired girl snarked.

The youth nods in conformation. He then looks back down on the layout. "Regardless, I think there is a chance of getting out of this alive. Here's the plan." He then takes out a handful of pebbles and laid them out in certain positions.

"What are you doing?" Noelle asked.

"Laying out the plan." Yuno replied as he continued to do so. "Alright. I think this'll work."

"So what's the plan? Jericho stated.

"Here's the plan." Yuno told everyone. "Me or Jericho will sneak towards the front of the gates and goad one of the three to attack the gates. Mars and Luck seems to have natural regenerative abilities and Fana's Salamander can't be affected by [Corporeal Magic: Lifelink]. Once their attacks head towards either of us, Finral will use his [Spatial Magic] to get us back away from enemy fire and towards where Mimosa and Noelle are, where they'll provide relief with their respective [Recovery Magic]. The process will be repeated until the gates are destroyed, and once we cross that bridge, Klaus and Corrin will use their [Steel & Magnet Magic] to get us into the chambers quickly as possible, and we'll take what we can in the treasure room, and once that's done, we run."

"That's..." Klaus trails off. "... Oh what am I kidding, I can't think of any better."

"Hey. If it means that I don't have get my ass flayed in ten different directions, then I'm chill." Corrin smirked.

"A few problems in your plan, kid." A voice called out.

Next to the gathered seven, Fanzell and Lotus appear.

"What do you mean, a few problems?" Noelle asked in a haughty tone.

"Too many maybes." Fanzell answered bluntly. "Look. Great as this plan is, it's not perfect."

"Then can you two explain?" Finral asked.

"Don't need to ask kid." The red-haired man then clears his throat before speaking. "First, while the idea of using the three outside as a measure to destroy the gates is a good idea, it doesn't change the fact that death is still a factor here."

"Care to explain?" Klaus stated with a furrowed brow. "Just who is the most likely to kill us all?"

" _Mars_." Lotus stated. "Morris has done some _profane_ acts to that kid to turn him into a perfect killing machine. Meaning that he'll eventually pat down the pattern of our plan and begin to formulate a plan to kill you all." The man then leans his back against the rock, stroking his goatee. "Mars's brain has been modified _last-minute_ by that nut to process information _three times faster_ than a brain with an I.Q. of _200_ , at the cost of _mutilating_ nearly all of his sentience."

"Which is why we're helping out." Fanzell stated. "My [Wind Creation Magic] has been honed for over _15_ years of combat experience, and I'm also pretty confident in my physical abilities as well."

"Now that I think about it, didn't you get 2nd place in the footrace back the boot camp?" Lotus stated.

The red-haired man nods.

As the two begin to converse, Yuno then thinks back to the time where he's fought Fanzell.

His[Wind Creation Magic] had the abilty to create swords, with each sword having its unique properties. Not only that, he had the ability to change his swords _on the fly_ , as seen with his ability to shift his [Dancing Wind Empress] to [Slashing Wind Emperor] _without_ incantation.

This could work.

"Mr. Kruger?" Yuno grasped the red-haired man's shoulder.

"You can call me Fanzell." The man replied. "So talk to me kid, what is it?"

"How many different kids of swords can create with your magic?"

"22." He replied. "With a total of _78_ spells I can do with all of my blades. So... I guess that makes a total of _100_ spells I can execute?"

"THAT MANY!?" Klaus sputtered out. "HOW!?"

Fanzell then turns to the young man with a slightly smug expression. "I didn't spend the last _15 years_ sitting idle, kid." The man smirked. "It's called _'training'_ and _'hard work'_. You should try it sometime."

Noelle then recalls seeing his body. Scrawny-looking as it was, it was clearly _all_ muscle, and it wasn't all just for show, as she saw that man swing around that unwieldy-looking estoc like nobody's business.

Her face turns red upon the fact that she saw him _naked_.

 _"If I'm now into brawny-looking and chiseled men, I'll never forgive myself."_ She thought while covering her now-cherry-red face.

"Mr. Whomalt!" Yuno then turns to the bearded man.

"How can I help?" Lotus replied.

"You said previously that you can hide people's presence with your magic, right?"

The bearded man smiles. "I know what you're thinking, and I like the way you think, kid." He remarked upon figuring out the boy's plan. "You're a gold standard of your generation, so you better not get yourself killed."

The boy then goes back to where his outline was, and adds two more rocks to the play.

Jericho then looks towards the map. "You've finally got a plan, Yuno?"

Yuno smiles back. "We'll make it-no."

He then stands up and gazes towards the outside with a _steely_ gaze.

"We'll _have_ to make it work."

Outside, once more, the three awakened demigods were still at it with their _Mêlée à Trois_.

 **"[Fire Spirit Magic: Salamander Solar Scorchsight]!"** The dragon widens its eyes, which the both orbs gleam in a bright spark of light, which then causes the bottom of the whole pit to explode into flames.

The other two come out of the conflagration _unscathed_.

 **"[Lightning Spirit Magic: Hadad]."** A pair of sickles made of lightning is formed in the goddess's hands. She then swings the blades towards the Salamander.

 **"[Fire & Crystal Compound ****Spirit** **Creation Magic: Surtr Lævateinn]!"** A giant, spade-headed broadsword made of crystal on fire is then formed in the Salamander's claws, which then the dragon then swings the blade towards the twin sickles, clashing blades with the false goddess.

 **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #6A- Cretan Labrys]."** The bull on his left shoulder floats off as it transforms from a shoulder pad to a _massive_ double-bitted battle axe with a visage of a bull at the flat, its "horns" being the _massive_ fiery blades. The mage then sprints towards the two, cleaving the blade lock with his axe.

The [Lernaean Gatling] then begin to provide support fire for the mage, causing the two false goddesses of death to disperse.

Before Fana can retaliate, a blade of wind strikes the Salamander's wing.

The Hateful looks up, and sees Yuno flipping her off.

 **"YOU WANNA DIE THAT BADLY!?"** She then whistles the dragon to fly back up towards where the youth was.

 **"THEN I'LL GRANT YOU YOUR WISH!"** She then opens her grimoire. **"[Fire & Crystal Compound ****Spirit** **Creation Magic: Hálogi Gungnir]!"**

A giant crystal lance on fire materializes in front of her. The spear then bolt towards where the youth was.

The lance strikes the ground where the youth stood, and when the dust clears, Yuno nor his body was _nowhere_ to be found.

The girl then lights up like the _sun_ itself in pure, unrestrained _fury_.

 **"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!?"** She screeched out, with her mouth _foaming_ in anger. But before she can begin her search, Fulgora's hand grabs the dragon by its tail and drags the two back to the pit.

To her ignorance, Yuno was right where the others were.

Thanks to Lotus's [Smoke Magic: Hermit's Thick Smoke], the other mages were hidden in plain sight as Noelle and Mimosa helps Yuno recover from his fatigue.

"So Yuno." Mimosa heaved out. "How are you holding up?"

"I think several years of my life have been shaved off from that experience alone..." The youth panted out with his eyes open while sweating like a river.

"Still, good work regardless." Jericho then slaps Yuno's stretched-out hand, tagging himself in the four-leaf's place.

"Don't die, you hear?" Yuno struggled to shout out towards the sprinting muscular youth.

Jericho then goes around the pit's edge, not causing a major scene while Lotus's [Hermit's Thick Smoke] was also cloaking him.

"Okay." The muscular youth then brushes his mullet's bangs back. "Now which one?"

Pick Fana, and she'll probably figure out what's going on and she'll blow _more_ then just their cover.

Pick Fulgora/Luck or Mars, either Jericho will come out charred black by the goddess's lightning, or get cooked _well-done_ into roast beef slices.

He already knows that this plan will involve playing close to the chest, but even then, Jericho had butterflies in his stomach.

"Well shit." He mumbled out as he put on his goggles with tinted-lenses. "It's do or die."

A couple of small, sharp objects forms in his hand.

"[Platinum Creation Magic: Glitter Darts]." He then snatches them into his grasp and aims his thumb towards one of the three.

"Don't hate me for this, Luck." Jericho then flicks his thumb out as hard as he can, sending one of the [Glitter Darts] flying towards the false goddess.

His right arm then emits a crunching sound, indicating a _massive_ strain on his injuries.

The projectile grazes his cheek, drawing _blood_.

 **"You now have the Goddess's undivided attention, you cheeky neanderthal."** Her _ethereal_ voice boomed.

Fulgora then turns her massive [Lightning Magic] constructed body towards Jericho's direction.

Luck's possessed and _broken_ body then opens the now- _tattered_ Grimoire.

 **"[Lightning Spirit Magic: Perun]."** An axe forged from lightning is then swung down towards Jericho.

Finral's [Spatial Magic] then opens a portal in front of the Magic Knight, which he then jumps into and away from the swing.

The swing instead strikes the door, activating [Corporeal Magic: Lifelink], once again.

But unlike Salamander, Fugora _had_ a physical body.

Mainly, _Luck's_.

The goddess retreats upon seeing her vessel's chest _gushing_ out blood from a freshly-formed gash.

"Well, that went better than I thought." Jericho stated while Mimosa and Noelle were healing his re-damaged arm.

The redhead lets out a frustrated grumble.

"Seriously, I knew my squad is reckless, but this is taking it too far!" Noelle chided.

"Welcome to reality, young lady." Behind her approached Fanzell, estoc in left hand, his right stretched out. "It'll be there to disappoint and surprise you all at once."

"You sure you can do this, sir?" Jericho then tags the red-haired man's hand.

"Please." He then turns towards where the direction facing the. "I'm not that old."

Under the cover of [Hermit's Thick Smoke], Fanzell dashes out toward where the gate is.

 _"Now here's the really hard part; avoiding consistency."_ He thought as he snuck around the pit's rim.

Lotus has already told him everything about Mars and how to at least, not die around him, should he go berserk, kind of like what's happening _right now_.

Lotus has already filled him in on Mars's full capabilities. Morris, cruel as that bastard was, he was also know to be an obsessive workaholic and a driven _perfectionist_.

The fruits of the mad scientist's labor are shown in this bountiful harvest of magical and biological marvel.

"Never liked that prick..." He muttered as he drew in closer towards the doors.

Upon reaching the gates, Fanzell draws his estoc and opens his grimoire.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Dusty Wind Devil]." A _shamshir_ of wind envelops the estoc. "And then..."

Fanzell swings out his blade of wind. "[Wind Creation Magic: Dusty Wind Devil- Sandstorm]!"

A rushing spiral of dusty wind dashes towards Mars, who is then vacuumed into the funnel, away from the other two, who then ignore him and continue the bout without him.

"Alright then..." Fanzell then takes a deep breath through his nose and out of his mouth, calming himself before Mars redirects his objective towards the red-haired man.

 **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #1A- Nemean Salvo]." **

The manes around Mars's lion helmet then shoot out into a barrage of flaming quills heading towards Fanzell.

A portal opens up in front of the red-haired man. Fanzell then hurls his whole body forward into the portal.

The crystal missiles explode onto the surface of the gates, damaging Mars's body thanks to [Lifelink].

 **"Initiating recovery process."** Mars then opens his patchwork grimoire. **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Recovery Magic: Trial #9B- Geryon Mending]."**

The gaps on Mars's body begin to close up on their own as the flames seared the gaps back together while the crystal acted as a casting to hold in his _internal organs_ inside his body while his wounds were closing up.

As for Fanzell, he was well and alive.

"Welcome back." Finral stated grimly as he himself was chugging a vial of green liquid. "How's the gate?"

"I think that attack back there actually broke through a few layers." The red-haired man stated. "Maybe at _least_ one or two, I really can't tell, but I think I just saw my former student's entrails spill out of his stomach." Fanzell then rushes towards the other end to vomit.

"WAIT!" Lotus cried out. "THAT AREA IS NOT-!"

 **"Target acquired."**

Next to the unsuspecting red-haired man was _Mars_ , who then directs his orbiting dragon heads towards Fanzell. The rotary cannons from the dragon's mouth now cloister back into the jaws, and in turn, the dragon heads then sprout out _heated_ crystal blades out of its mouth, in place where the rotary cannon was once there.

 **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #2B- Lernaean Fangs]."**

The fangs then begin to speed towards Fanzell, with the intent to gore him.

Fanzell then swallows his bile back as he opens his grimoire.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Turbulent Wind Lovers]!" Fanzell's estoc then transforms into several wind copies of the same sword that begins orbits around him. "And following that up..."

The [Turbulent Wind Lovers] then begin to orbit around the red-haired man even _faster_.

 **"[Wind Magic: Turbulent Wind Lovers- Mistral]."**

The _soaring_ replica blades then make short work of the dragon heads, reducing them into shards of broken luster in an _instant_.

"Oh and by the way." He states nonchalantly while heading back into the [Hermit's Thick Smoke]. "I was the one who taught him that orbiting-projectile trick."

"Just who are you, really?" Klaus asked while creating his [Steel Creation Magic: Royal War Chariot- Gunigelot], a larger variant of his regular 5-person carriage, now being able to fit up to at least _triple_ of the original amount, on top of his [Steel Creation Magic: Mighty Catapult], which will eject the carriage towards the gates once the gates themselves are rid of.

"Didn't you know?" Lotus stated. "Fanzell fought during the Clover-Diamond War twenty years back. During around the midway point of the war, the kid made a name for himself in a few years of his service."

"Wait." Corrin asked right after she finishes implanting [Magnet Magic: Flux Ballista] onto the chariot. "What's your full name?"

"Fanzell Kruger." He replied nonchalantly while Mimosa was healing his minor burns. "Why do you ask?"

"Wait, THAT FANZELL KRUGER!?" The chestnut-haired girl shouts out. "YOU MEAN THE INFAMOUS _'_ _BLADESTORM'_ KRUGER!? THE SAME KRUGER THAT ROUTED OVER A HUNDRED CLOVER KINGDOM KNIGHTS AND WAS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INFAMOUS BADLANDS ROUT TEN YEARS AGO!?"

"The one and only." The red-haired man replied. "But I'll save that story for later. Right now, we got bigger fish to fry."

Fanzell tags out to Yuno, who just finished recovering.

"Watch out for Mars, kid." Lotus warned. "He _knows_ that we're here. It's just that he's too preoccupied with the other two to deal with us. There might be a chance that he might also come after you if you stir up that hornet's nest."

Yuno merely smiles with a toothy grin, emulating his fallen brother.

"That's a chance that I'm willing to take _advantage_ of." The youth then heads off with the [Hermit's Thick Smoke] cloaking his presence.

The youth makes short time reaching the gates. He then opens his grimoire, readying the plan.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Swift White Hawk- Scramble]!" Yuno then crosses his arms right before he lashes them out, releasing several smaller versions of his [Swift White Hawk] towards the three demigods.

The hawks hit _all three_ of them, resulting all of them turning their attention towards _him_.

"YOU WANT SOME!?" Yuno yelled out. "THEN COME GET SOME!"

"YUNO! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU EVEN THINKING-!"

Jericho's pleas were then cut off by all three of them releasing their spells onto the youth.

 **"[Fire Spirit Magic: Muspelheim]!"** Salamander itself _explodes_ into flames, transforming it into an actual _Blue Sun_ , which then tackles its whole body towards Yuno.

 **"[Lightning Spirit Magic: Thor]."** Fulgora then forms a giant warhammer made of lightning, which she then swings down towards the youth like a bolt of lightning about to strike a tree ablaze.

 **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Magic: Trial #10A: Kerberos Howling]."** The three hound heads on Mars's breastplate sprout out into actual _snarling_ hound heads made of crystal. The three hound then let out a massive beam of scarlet _hellfire_ towards Yuno.

"YUNO!" Jericho's cries are drowned out by the sound of three _apocalyptic_ attacks connecting Yuno and everything else within _20 meters_ around him. "FINRAL! DO SOMETHING!"

"I'M TRYING!" The dandy man cried out in desperation. "I CAN'T FIND HIM ANYWHERE!"

The light and smoke clears, revealing a ruined landscape burnt _black_.

Worst of all, the gates, damaged as they were, were _still_ standing.

"Yuno..." Jericho teared up as he realized his sacrifice was in _vain_.

 **"YUNO!"** The muscular youth roared out in grief as he himself charged into the no man's land.

Tears _evaporated_ while sliding down his cheeks. His skin _boiled_ from the residual heat from the last three attacks.

 ** _It mattered not._**

For Jericho's rage burned even _hotter_.

 **"[Platinum Invocation Magic:-]...!"**

His grimoire opens up, inscribing a new spell in response to his _grief_.

 **"... [Stardust Crusader]!"**

A _ghostly_ silhouette appears behind Jericho, revealing itself as a caped knight in full-plate armor wielding a large, two-handed broadsword appears behind Jericho.

The [Stardust Crusader] was _no_ mere specter.

It was _Jericho's_ very own soul, taken into tangible form in response to the youth's _pain_ and _sorrow_.

Now, with the burden of losing his friend right in front of him, the knight readies its blade, ready to slay the three _monsters_ that did this to him.

 **"YOU PAY FOR THIS, YOU BASTARDS!"**

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Sorry for the holdup.

A few things got in my way. You know, things like other chapters from my other fanfics and the goddamn flu (missed at least 3-4 days of school because of that crap).

A little behind on schedule due to nature and life kicking me in the balls.

But now (upon this chapter's publication), I'm at least 92% working order.

I even did 10-12 sets of 10 push-ups a day.

Now about the story itself, a few things.

I had a _lot_ of fun writing this chapter.

New attack names, complex tactics to face three uber-tiered mages, and oh, not to mention,

Jericho summoned a friggin Stand.

The JoJo references are immortal. Bite me.

Also, pop quiz, did I kill off Yuno?

The answer will be revealed in the _next_ chapter.

Also, don't forget to leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what you readers are thinking.


	21. Saga 21: Bad Company Part 5

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 21: Bad Company Part 5**

* * *

 **Dungeon Depths, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

 **"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, YOU BASTARDS!"**

Jericho and his [Stardust Crusader] both charge towards the three demigods.

 **"KILL! HUMAN!"** Fana screeched out. **"[Fire Spirit Magic: Salamander Hellfire Breath]!"**

The dragon spews out anther wave of azure flames.

The [Stardust Crusader] flies ahead of Jericho, turns around, lowers himself with its hands down, and once Jericho places both of his feet on the knight's hands, the specter throws him up into the air like a springboard, and before the flames can reach it, the knight flies up towards its master, with its swords drawn.

 **"[Platinum Invocation Magic: Luck & Pluck]!" **

The [Stardust Crusader] hands its master its twin blades, with the knight itself dissipating into the swords, and upon the knight merging with his own blades, the blades themselves extend outwards in a chain-like fashion, wrapping around Fana herself, and with a jerk, pulls down Fana off of her mount and towards the craggy earth below.

 **"YOU THINK YOU HAVE ME BEAT!?"** Fana then whistles the Salamander to attack Jericho.

The youth, however, remains unfazed.

 **"No, but I got you right where I want you."**

Fana then turns toward her left, seeing Fulgora's massive fist hurling towards their direction.

Jericho then releases his whip-swords from Fana, letting him fall down faster while both Fana and Salamander's faces meet the goddess's fist rather _intimately_ , sending the two crashing towards the wall, leaving behind a crater.

[Luck & Pluck] disappear, allowing [Stardust Crusader] to catch Jericho before the ground could.

"Thanks."

The [Stardust Crusader] gives the youth a thumbs up.

Mars then turns towards Jericho, with _all_ of his weapons drawn.

 **"Addition vital sign confirmed."** Mars spoke in his usual monotone and _reverberating_ voice. **"Current objective updated: eliminate the [Platinum Magic] user along with [Fire Spirit Magic] and [Lightning Spirit Magic] user with extreme prejudice."**

His patchwork grimoire flutters open once more.

 **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #10B- Kerberos Pack]."**

The dog heads on Mars's breastplate burst out in _flames_ and into physical form, forming a trio of _Hellhounds_ made of crystal and breathing out flames with every pant.

The dogs attack Jericho and his [Stardust Crusader] as he readies another spell.

 **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #3B- Karkinos Crooks]."**

The crab-claws on his arms split out into anchor-like protrusions, right before they both detach with chains running off from their rear ends.

Mars then grabs those chains and begins to swing both of them around in a circle, building up momentum right before the anchors shoot outwards in a jet of flames towards Jericho.

Jericho deflects the anchor with his [Stardust Knuckle], but at that moment, one of the Kerberos take a bite out of [Stardust Crusader]'s leg, causing _Jericho_ to bleed from _his_ leg.

In retaliation, Jericho flicks a [Glitter Dart] into the hound's maws, shattering from the inside, right before it explodes into flames and crystal shrapnel.

 **"Target's weakness confirmed."** Mars stated as he signals the remaining two Kerberos back to him. **"[Stardust Crusader]'s physical form is directly reflected off of the owner's form-"**

His analysis was cut off by Jericho driving his [Stardust Knuckle] into his nose, sending him flying back into the pit.

 **"So what?"** Jericho spoke out while his [Stardust Crusader] appeared next to him. **"It's going to take a lot more then one dog bite to kill me."**

 **"Request accepted."**

Mars then comes flying out of the pit with his _flaming_ crystal bat-wings on his back.

 **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #9A- Geryon Wings]."** Mars then flies toward Jericho with a literal flying kick. **"[Crystal & Fire Creation Magic: Trial #6A- Stymphalian Talons]." **The claws on his grieves extend out into heated, hook-bladed knives, gradually transforming both of his feet into a pair of legitimate raptor talons.

 **"YOU WANNA CLASH!?"** Jericho then forms [Stardust Knuckles] onto his arms, ready to clash with the killer automation.

Mars's kicks then come at a _flurry_.

 **"THEN COME GET SOME!"** Jericho and [Stardust Crusader]'s flurry of fists meet with Mars's flurry of talons.

 **"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **!"**

Fist and feet meet in a _frenzied_ dance of sparks. Blurs of limbs were interwoven in a _disorienting_ kaleidoscope of muscle and bone with each other's flurries.

Mars tries to sneak in a feint kick, but Jericho catches the bluff, grabs him by the ankle, pulls him in, and drives his fist right between his legs.

 **"ORA!"**

Mars's pelvis then snaps in two as the [Stardust Knuckles] digs even _deeper_ into Mars's crotch.

 **"SUCK ON IT!"**

With one last rush of adrenaline, Jericho then thrusts his _other_ fist into Mars's crotch hard as he could, letting out one, final,-

 **"OOOORAAA!"**

The [Crystal Magic] user goes flying towards the [Fire Magic] and [Lightning Magic] users, colliding with them into a one messy pile of clashing elements, causing the whole room to light up like the surface of a newborn sun once again.

Luckily, Jericho had his tinted-lenses goggles on the whole time, so his eyes were fine the whole time.

"Haah... haah... haah..." The muscular youth heaves out while placing his hands on his knees.

Even for someone well-built and tenacious as him, Jericho was _winded_.

Although to be fair, he did just take out the Diamond Kingdom's _Apex Superweapon_ , so it's a little justified.

Dazed, the Black Bull then makes his way back to where everyone else were.

"JERICHO! BEHIND YOU!"

"Wait, what-."

As Jericho was turning his head, a pair of bramble-like horns ram Jericho, sending him flying back towards the wall where the others were behind it, hiding.

From his blurred vision behind his goggles, Jericho makes out a silhouette of a horned, equine-looking figure.

And behind this crystal figure was Mars, now his lower half being _quadrupedal_ , and also trotting on its _hooves_.

 **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #5A- Ceryneian Charger]."** Mars then begins to pick up speed with his new horse-like bottom, stampeding together with the flame-horned, crystalline buck. **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #8B- Diomedes Mount]."**

Right before the two equines can stomp him to dust, Jericho punches the ground, kicking up massive amounts of dust and rubble in front of him, giving him the room to escape from Mars's path-.

Jericho is then flanked by a massive crystal polearm, which its flame-covered U-shaped tip catches his whole body and pins him to a nearby wall.

 **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #5B- Ceryneian Gigging]."**

Jericho's torso was being pierced by the smaller teeth inside the burning two-pronged spearhead, while the bigger antlers were pinning him to a wall.

Jericho then tries to pull himself free, but the smaller horns inside the prongs were hooking his flesh and organs, putting his insides at risk of being pulled out.

And to make matters worse, Mars comes charging toward the now-bound Jericho, shoulder-first.

Said shoulder that being a crystalline boar head with _literal_ flaming crystal swords for tusks.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" In desperation, Jericho is really starting to consider pulling out his organs in order to escape.

However, before Mars can gore him with his shoulder-tusks, Jericho, in a brief moment of lucidity, sees a small dome of _wind_ forming beneath Mars's hooves.

"... Yuno?"

Mars steps on the dome, causing it to explode, sending Mars crashing through the ceiling.

The horse-legs on Mars break down along with his [Ceryneian Gigging].

Above him was _Yuno_ , who was alive, albeit, shirtless and a little bit burnt.

"... Yuno?" Jericho mumbled in pure _shock_.

The others behind the wall were equally, if not, more stunned then Jericho.

"Sup." The youth spoke out.

"... He's not a ghost like Luck's mom, right?" Finral asked.

The Salamander flies back up from the pit and towards Jericho.

"Excuse me for a moment." Yuno states towards everyone else.

Yuno than disappears and _instantaneously_ appears behind Fana, right before placing his hand onto her back.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble- Repulsor]!"

The ball explodes, sending Fana flying off of Salamander and slamming her onto the gates, with [Lifelink] _mercilessly_ wrecking her whole body.

Salamander, upon its contractor being gravely injured, stops flying and dissipates into ember, back to its smaller, puppy-sized form heading towards it injured master.

"... Yuno?" Jericho muttered out.

"Yo." The slightly burnt-looking youth spoke out. "Sorry if I scared you back there-."

The muscular youth gives him a punch to his face.

"Save it." Jericho bit out as he let go of the four-leaf.

"Right..." Yuno groaned out while he spat out a loose molar. "Regardless-"

Above them, Mars breaks out of the ceiling and lands on the earth with a pair of pants made of fire, mending his lower half.

"... Did you really had to destroy his crotch?" Yuno asked Jericho.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time." He replied.

Yuno sighs in exasperation. "Well as I was saying, regardless..."

The two then turn towards the other two demigods, grimoires open and resolves solidified once more.

 **"We've got ass to kick."**

The two then charge towards Fulgora and Mars.

Next to the gates, the pink-haired lady was out _cold_.

"FANA!" Fanzell runs towards the unconscious girl. The red-haired man then picks up the girl and takes her away from the battlefield. "Fana! Are you alright!? Please answer me!"

"Hmm..." The girl mumbles out of her stupor upon hearing his pleas. "... Teacher?"

"Shh." He shushed the girl. "Hang on, we're going to get help." He then enters through the portal opened up in front of him, where it led to the backlines.

"... I suspect that she won't go crazy and kill us all?" Corrin pointed out.

"Please..." Fanzell begged. "Two of my former students are here right now, and if I lose one here right now, I won't be able to forgive myself."

"Humph!" Klaus huffed. "What's stopping me from _euthanizing_ this psychopath?"

"Commander!" Mimosa chided while she forms a [Dream-Healing Flower Basket] around the barely-awakened Fana.

The bespectacled man turns his back from the group.

"Lotus, watch over her." Fanzell then heads out towards the battlefield. "Oh, and make sure four-eyes over there doesn't snap and kill her."

"Father's honor." Lotus salutes the former "Bladestorm" upon his departure.

In Fana's mind, elf!Fana was barely awake as well.

The shock of the physical agony that she received from [Lifelink] put her in a state of delirium as well, allowing human!Fana to take over.

Why Licht didn't even bother removing the body's original personality, she honestly doesn't know, but it's pissing her off.

 _"Damn humans... ruining everything..."_ She cursed as she tries to regain control of the shared body.

Outside, Fanzell joins the two Black Bulls in their fight.

"Mr. Kruger!?" Yuno cried out. "What are you doing here!?"

His estoc then transforms into a sickle-like blade made of wind.

"There's no better force multiplier then numbers themselves, kid." Fanzell replied in a serious tone. "I just got one of my former students back from the grave, and I'm not letting the other slip away."

"Try not to die sir." Jericho readies his [Stardust Crusader] with his [Stardust Knuckles] encasing his arms.

"Try me." Fanzell then opens his grimoire to ready his attack. "Now shall we?"

The other two open their respective grimoires.

"Remember, _don't kill them_." The man then swings his sickle-sword. "Not only I want to save Mars, but I also know that you guys want to save your little friend over there, right?"

"If possible, I think we all want to avoid death today." Jericho pointed out while Yuno nods at the same time.

"Got it then." Fanzell then begins his attack. "Let's go!"

"RIGHT!" The three then mover out.

 **"[Wind Magic: Eroding Wind Death- Twister]!"**

A ball of spiraling wind spins towards the two.

 **"[Platinum Reinforcement Magic: Stardust Crusader- Neon Knight]!"**

The ethereal knight breaks apart right before it encases Jericho in its armor, combining the two into a more powerful entity.

An "armored knight clad in pure platinum with massive gauntlets wielding a sword _three-times_ larger than the wielder" is the literal description of Jericho's [Neon Knight] form.

 **"[Wind Creation Magic: Swift White Hawk- Quills]!"**

Yuno's [Swift White Hawk] beats its wings, sending out a flurry of razor-sharp feathers towards the two demigods.

 **"[Lightning Spirit Magic: Zeus]."** Fulgora summons a lance made of pure lightning. Or it's an actual lightning bolt serving as a spear. Either way, it was pointy, and Fulgora was more than happy to skewer the three fools that dared to stand up to her magnificence.

 **"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #4B- ****Erymanthian Hunt]."** The boar on his right shoulder then transforms into a massive, arm-mounted crossbow, with its arrows made of crystal tipped with fire.

Fulgora first swings down [Zeus] towards the charging three while Mars fires a giant crystal bolt from his [Erymanthian Hunt].

Jericho parries the the bolt with his [Neon Knight]-enhanced [Stardust Knuckles], redirecting the bolt's trajectory towards Fulgora.

Fulgora simply swats the bolt away with her lance, right before she then spikes down her polearm towards the three.

Fanzell runs towards his [Twister], jumping onto it, causing him to trampoline off of the ground and directly above Mars.

Yuno then lets out a whistle, commanding the [Swift White Hawk] to beat its wings faster, causing the [Quills] to shoot out more pins at a faster rate.

Fulgora simply swats them away with her bare hands, but upon moving her hand back, Yuno disappeared from her sight.

Nor is Fanzell anywhere to be seen.

But before she could even use Luck's mana sensory, the youth reappears behind Luck's body.

Fanzell then reappears out of thin air, blade drawn.

For those of you that weren't able to keep up, here's the following reason on why they vanished and reappeared suddenly.

What Fanzell meant by that "trick" last time was referring to Yuno's application of his [Air Bubble- Balloon] to refract the light around him with the spinning wind around him, causing him to become somewhat invisible provided if the wind around him was still up.

This kind of application of using [Wind Magic] to refract light around themselves is only mastered by a handful of mages throughout the history, and even then, the shortest recorded time of mastering this technique was roughly around a year.

For Fanzell, it took him around two years to perfect this unspoken technique, ultimately refining it into his own [Wind Creation Magic: Eroding Wind Death- Haze], which he emulates Lotus's [Hermit's Thick Smoke] along with this secret technique to create a sort of a "dead zone" around himself, eluding all senses of surrounding people, allowing him to slip by unnoticed.

In fact, that's how he managed to cross the Clover-Diamond border without detection a year back.

For Yuno, he managed to execute it _flawlessly_ in his _first time_ , without even realizing it.

Regardless, the two were now in position. They're ready to save their loved ones.

 **"NOW!"**

 **"[Wind Creation Magic: Roaring Wind Strength]!"** The sickle then transforms into a _zweihander_. The Bladestorm then swings his massive blade of wind letting loose a violent vortex of wind. **"[Wind Magic: Roaring Wind Strength- Typhoon]!"**

Fanzell then catches Mars with the [Typhoon], breaking apart his [Herculean Arsenal] off of his skin, causing Mars to plummet towards the earth.

Fanzell, being his teacher and aspiring father that he is, switches his [Roaring Wind Strength] to [Dancing Wind Empress]. "[Wind Creation Magic: Dancing Wind Empress- Summer Draft]!"

An updraft of wind blades blows upwards, slowing Mars's and Fanzell's fall.

"Alright." Fanzell then spots a portal open next to him and drags Mars back to it.

Through the portal, he sees Klaus gagged by Lotus's smoke tendrils, and Corrin laughing like a hyena, putting her very close to asphyxiation.

"Sorry." The bearded man stroked his goatee. "Had to stop him."

"You did good." Fanzell then puts the unconscious Mars into another [Dream Healing Flower Basket] that Mimosa had just made. "Hang in there." He spoke to both of his students. "That goes for you too, missy." He talked to the redhead.

"I want a raise." She spoke out in a deadpan tone.

Klaus gives her the middle finger.

As for Yuno, he's dealing with Fulgora while trying to save Luck.

 **"[Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble- Separator]!"** A ball of wind surrounds Luck's body, separating him from the false goddess's clutches.

Yuno then pulls the ball out of Fulgora's chest, leaving her without a physical vessel, and causing her body made of lightning to begin fading.

Not that it her powers even begin to fade. But rather, they were amplified.

 _Thousandfold._

 _"So that's what Sister Lily meant by that a candle burns at its brightest when it's starts to put itself out..._ " The youth sweatdropped.

The dying goddess then reaches out towards Yuno with her _fading_ hand.

 _"Better finish the job. Just to be safe."_ Yuno then opens his grimoire, ready to release his one final attack.

 **"[Wind Magic: Turbulence Fang Howling]!"**

The goddess is then sucked into the razor-teethed vortex of spiraling wind, dismantling her piece by piece, volt by volt, as she then begins to curse Yuno for his supposed "heresy".

If only her words were even remotely audible through the blistering winds, then Yuno might've taken heed.

... Not that it even matters anymore.

Yuno, now holding Luck's destroyed body in his arms, Yuno goes through the portal where the others were being tended to their injuries.

"Here." Yuno then puts Luck into one of the [Dream Healing Flower Basket] and hands Mimosa his entire satchel full of vials of Moguro Leaf Juice.

"Huh?" The redhead turns to the youth with a confused expression.

"I saw you sneak a few vials out of my bag. And considering how much that's on your plate..." Yuno then eyes toward the several flower cradles with each containing a gravely injured person.

"... Thank you, Yuno." Mimosa then takes one of the vials right before downing it. "I won't let anyone down!"

"Don't forget about me!" Noelle then opens her grimoire and begins casting [Naga's Teardrop] onto each party member. "I'm not letting you take all the credit for this, you hear!?"

Mimosa lets out a small chuckle before continuing her healing.

Yuno then looks out into the now-empty and devastated chamber.

The ground was now a gaping black pit, the air around it still smelled of ash, and as for the door itself...

It still stood, albeit, the layers were now carved through like fine cuts of freshly-burnt meatloaf.

 _"Before that..."_ He then looks back at the others.

He then hops down from his elevated position and back down where the others were.

"Klaus." He spoke to the confined bespectacled Magic Knight.

"... What is it?" His muffled through the smoke bindings.

"After we all heal up, can we make an attempt to break down the gates?"

"... Your logic is sound." He groaned out.

He then goes to where the others where the others were being healed.

"This whole ordeal sucks..." Corrin groans out.

"Hell if you know!" Noelle chided. "Me and Mimosa are the ones working to the bone trying to mend are the ones trying to mend your bones! Hell! Even Finral is doing more than you!"

"I'll take that as a complement..." Finral sweatdropped.

"Can't do much when I have no ammo." Corrin then flips Noelle off.

Yuno then enters their healing range, mending his cuts and burns.

For the next several minutes, no one utters a word.

"Yuno." Jericho breaks the silence.

The youth turns his head towards the bruised Jericho.

"You did good." He said.

Yuno lets up a thumbs-up.

"Welp, I'm all done." Fanzell then gets out of the [Dream Healing Flower Basket].

"Um, Mr. Kruger!?" Mimosa spoke out. "You know that you're still injured, right!?"

"Please." The red-haired man grinned. "I've been through much worse."

"Well you're not getting any younger!" Noelle cried out.

Those words stabs Fanzell in the chest.

"... Oh c'mon, I'm only _28_!" He cried out.

"Then shut up and settle down already!" She cried out. "I can't heal you properly if you don't stand still!"

Then suddenly her face turns red.

"Hmm?" Fanzell takes notice. "Is something wrong, young lady?"

"I-It's not like I'm doing this for you!" She stuttered. "It's just that you're the only way that we'll get to the treasure hall! Yeah! That!"

Fanzell smirks at Noelle's poor attempt of hiding her emotions.

He then decides to tease her for a bit, as a way to get back at her little jab from earlier.

"... What?"

"Sorry little lady. I'm already _taken_."

Her red face explodes into steam as her whole body and ego then begins to deflate like a balloon.

"Fanzell, that was not nice of you." Lotus chided.

"Aw, shuddup." He then tosses a few yuls into his swear jar.

As the two adults in the room continue to squabble, Fana slowly wakes up to see Mars next to her.

"Mars...!" She then begins to cry.

The tears hit his cheeks.

"Hmm..." Mars's body then begins to twitch awake.

The former automation looks to see a crying pink-haired girl.

His memories then slowly begin to resurface.

The promise that they made that sunset.

The horrible ordeal that he, Fana, and the other kids were subjected to.

His first kill being his childhood love.

The pain that strangled his heart right before it was forcibly buried by that bastard Morris.

Now, after ten years of _silence_ , Mars was now _resurrected_.

The sensation of pain stings his whole body, the breath of fresh air that filled his lungs for the first time, the colors that blurs his eyes, and the sounds refilling his ears once more.

No longer as Morris's personal _killing machine_.

But as a _human_.

"... Fana?"

His first words at last.

"MARS!" She then glomps the now-awake Mars, relieved that he's still alive.

Then Mars begin to feel something on his cheeks.

He places his fingers on them.

 _Tears_.

His own.

The two long-lost childhood friends are now reunited in a mess of tears, sobs, wails, and snots.

... Disgusting as it is, those two kind of earned it, so no one's complaining.

Except for Klaus. He's a little too freaked out that these two former psychopaths are now sobbing like children.

Oh, and also worth mentioning elf!Fana, who's currently gagging at her host body's overflow of emotions.

For human!Fana, it was in more ways then one.

 _ **"NO NO NO NO NO! DON'T YOU DARE STICK YOUR TONGUE INSIDE OF HIS MOUTH YOU DIRTY LITTLE BITC-!"**_

Worst part, she feels what human!Fana feels as well. After all, they do share the _same_ body.

And right now, she's feeling that damn human's hand feeling up her _chest_.

Worst of all, her (the body's) crotch then begins to feel _hot_ and _wet_.

Elf!Fana tries her best not to puke at this primal sensation.

 _ **"SOMEBODY KILL ME ALREADY!"**_

Outside of elf!Fana's subconsciousness, the only two (married) adults in the room look at each other awkwardly.

"... Should we stop them?" Lotus asked Fanzell.

"I get the feeling that this is way beyond out hands." Fanzell answered. "And by the way, you haven't thought your three girls the birds and the bees yet?"

"Not until one of my girls gets a boyfriend that I approve." Lotus replied firmly. "Which by the way, considering that we're _nomads_ , methinks that it's _very_ unlikely."

The two men nod silently in agreement.

As for the rest of the Black Bulls, the emotions were mixed.

Finral was watching over Luck's destroyed body being healed by Mimosa and the now-recovered Noelle, and Yuno and Jericho were scouting what was left of the room.

"Well that was close." Yuno sighed out.

"You're doing a poor job at hiding your nerves, my friend." The muscular youth jabbed his arm with his elbow.

"... Is it really that obvious?" Yuno frowned.

"You kinda tend to wear your emotions on your sleeves, not that's a bad thing, mind you." Jericho stated.

"Hilarious." The youth scoffs as the two of them approached the nearly-destroyed door. "So enough of that..."

The two then look at this monster of a door that took a crapload of beatings from several mages, three demigods, and enough gambit pileups to resulting in them unwittingly committing way too many war crimes.

"Your next line is: 'How do we exactly get in?'"

"How do we exactly get in?" Yuno stated. "Crap. You're right..."

"It's a little family trade secret." Jericho grinned.

"Enough of that!" Klaus, now free of his bindings and that sore sight approaches the gates, counting how many layers of the gate that they've broken through.

Behind him, everyone else, with Luck's body being carried by Mimosa's [Dream Healing Flower Basket] being transported by Lotus's [Wispy Whiskers], also carrying the two childhood love interests in their own little world.

"Hmm! Good work!" The bespectacled man praised the two. "You plan, asinine as it was, has managed to get us even closer to the treasure then ever before!" He then begins to laugh while patting Yuno's and Jericho's shoulders. "You've done well! So now rest!"

His [Mighty Catapult] then points towards the gates, with [Gunigelot] locked and loaded.

"Commander!" Corrin then bolts toward Klaus with a panicked look on her face. "Don't-!"

"FIRE!" The [Royal War Chariot- Gunigelot] fires towards the gate.

The steel projectile hits the gates.

"Direct hit!" Klaus pumped his hand triumphantly.

 **"Klaus you idiot-!"**

Suddenly, the whole dungeon goes _red_. And a _cacophony_ of sirens begins blaring off through the masonry.

"WAIT! WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Klaus cried out.

"... The final middle finger from our ancestors before we join them." Corrin mumbled out.

"Elaborate." Klaus groaned out. "And no, I do not need you or anyone else to tell me that it's all my fault. Because as you can see..."

He then strides towards Corrin and picks up the chestnut-haired girl by her shirt collar.

"I DO NOT NEED TO HEAR IT AGAIN, ESPECIALLY FROM THE LIKES OF YOU, GOT IT!?" He rants while shaking her by the collar.

"... I'll get to the elaborate part once you drop me back down-"

Klaus lets go of her clothes, dropping her flat on her ass.

"Thanks." She then dusts herself off before standing back up.

"So, Miss Index." Jericho cuts in. "Can you explain what's going on?"

"Okay, who's here heard of [Recombination Magic: Full Collapse]?" She stated in a deadpan tone.

For those of you who do not know, the Index family had the ability to discern spells from other people's grimoires and those hidden elsewhere, like traps.

Corrin prefers to keep that ability to minimum usage, mainly because of the fact that the whole reason for her being in the Golden Dawn in the first place?

That same squad has been "reserving" her family members for generations, with her being picked by Alecdra Sandler himself.

And for the record, that guy has sand up his ass daily (stated by Corrin), and for the record, no one in his squad remotely likes him.

The only reason why no one (sans Corrin) has voiced their disdain towards him, is because of his [Sand Magic].

Which, by the way, Corrin had the dubious honor of being one of the _few_ people that managed to piss him off and live the day after. Reason: [Sand Magic] was completely useless if said sand was composed of roughly 15% _powder iron_ (Alecdra put them/integrated into his [Sand Magic] in order for them to give them more weight and structural integrity).

In short, iron-laced [Sand Magic] + [Magnet Magic] = **USELESS**.

From that little spat on Corrin's very first day, it was stated there was now a _new_ unspoken ground rule within the Golden Dawn's base:

 ** _"Should Corrin Index and Alecdra Sandler be found within roughly 20 meters apart from each other, call for Captain Vangence and vacate the surrounding perimeters immediately."_**

Regardless, Corrin was still unique compared to her peers with her ability to read hidden spells, and right now, she is stating _imminent danger_.

"... First time hearing it-."

"KEEP IT BELOW TEN WORDS OR LESS-!"

Then a number "10" appears on the door's surface.

 **[10]**

... Right before it counts down to 9.

 **[9]**

"..."

The whole room goes silent.

... For literally _everyone_ now knew what was going to happen next.

"... EVERYONE OUT NOW!" Finral then tries to open a portal back out, but no dice.

 **[8]**

"Umm, Finral?" Noelle asked in a nervous tone. "Why can't you open a portal back out?"

Finral then turns to her with a pained smile on his face.

 **[7]**

"... There's _no_ mana left in the dungeon for me use my magic."

 **[6]**

Upon literally everyone hearing that statement, everyone loses whatever's left of their collective shit.

 **[5]**

 **"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, FOUR-EYES!"**

 **"I WILL DEVOUR YOUR _FUCKING_ SOUL, INDEX!"**

The two Golden Dawn Knight then begin their little last-second brawl, grabbing each other by their respective collars.

 **[4]**

"... We're boned, aren't we?"

"I'm failure as a father..."

The two adults then begin to ruminate on their imminent demise.

While the two childhood friends were terrified, they both silently accepted their fates, as long as the two were together, Mars and human!Fana were happy.

As for elf!Fana, she was already dead to begin with, and for the second time around, she just through the body's tear-laden pupils, gazing at the blood-red world glaring at her dead gaze.

The fire in her soul were now but mere _embers_ of its former hellfire.

 **[3]**

 **"I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die!"**

 **"HOLD ME, NOELLE!"**

Noelle and Mimosa were crying out a river while cowering while huddling together like a pair of newborn pups.

 **[2]**

 **"YUNO! WHAT NOW!?"** Jericho roared out while his [Stardust Knuckles] were encasing his forearms.

 **[1]**

Yuno simply opens his grimoire.

 **"WE'LL** **BREAK IT THROUGH BEFORE IT REACHES ZERO-!"**

Before the counter reached 0, a _rusted black sword_ pierces the stone gates.

The whole dungeon stops glowing in a red light, and the sirens echoing through the stone walls cease their blaring.

"... We're alive?" Finral then opens his eyes to see that he and the others were still alive.

The others then begin to cease their shameful displays of terror as their brains begin to process on their adverted crisis of the most caliber degree.

For one, the whole dungeon wasn't red, for sure. But even then, their nerves haven't calmed in the slightest.

For now the whole dungeon's depths were now _pitch-black_.

As if all the mana flowing through these caverns just went up and _vanished_ into thin air.

"Anyone have a light!?"

A lamp is lit in Jericho's hands, illuminating a small spot around him.

"EVERYONE! ROLL CALL!" Klaus's voice echoed in the darkness.

"Yuno!" The youth called out.

"Jericho!" The lamp's light sways sideways a little.

"Noelle!"

"Mimosa!"

The two female voices squeaked out in the dark.

"Finral!" The dandy's voice cried out.

"Lotus!"

"Fanzell!"

The two adult voices coughed out.

"Wait..." Fanzell's voice trailed off. "... WHERE'S MARS AND FANA-!?"

Next to the red-haired man, he can slightly hear the sounds of moaning and lips smacking within the darkness.

"... Never mind, found em'." Fanzell spoke out. "... We might wanna leave em' alone for a bit."

"Don't ask me for details. I kinda know what's going on." An unamused female voice spoke out.

Beneath Klaus was none other then Corrin Index, who's currently acting as an involuntary seat for her bespectacled superior officer.

"Oh." The commander then scrambles off of her. "Sorry about that."

"It's all right, I ain't dead yet." She droned out.

"But more importantly..." Klaus then adjusts his face-frame. "You mind telling us what just happened?"

"Ok, short version." The chestnut haired clears her throat before speaking. "Simply put, you know what [Recombination Magic: Full Collapse] was supposed to do?"

"Elaborate." Klaus spoke out while the others drew closer to the lamp light, Corrin and Klaus included.

"That magic?" She stated. "Once that counter hit zero, this whole dungeon was supposed to come crashing down our heads while the floor beneath out feet crumbles into a bottomless pit."

"So what you're saying is that the twelfth layer of that gate that me and Yuno's plan unearthed was a last breath bullet from the dungeon?" Jericho asked while setting down the lamp in middle of the circle formed by the compacting Magic Knights and ex-Diamond Mages.

The lamplight even reveals Mars and Fana _tonguing_ each other like newlyweds fresh out of the alter.

Everyone looks at the two with varying expressions; mainly, _confusion_.

"... Leave them be." Lotus stated.

Everyone who's not Mars or Fana nod in unanimous agreement.

"So..." Corrin cradled her temples with her hands. "You said last breath bullet, big guy?"

Jericho nods.

"Then yep, that's the gist of it." The chestnut-haired girl bluntly states.

"They really don't want us in there, do they?" Finral snarked out.

"No kidding..." Yuno grumbled. "That door already got Luck."

The Black Bulls then look at the youth's healed, but still-battered body of Luck.

It would take a miracle to save him now, but compared to the time when he was forcibly taken over by Fulgora, it was a _miracle_ of itself that his body wasn't missing all of its limbs.

Because for Yuno, should worst-case-scenario hits, at least he could give him a proper burial, so that way, he won't be sullied like his passed brother, Asta.

The youth's heart then grows hard and heavy.

"... Is something wrong?" Mimosa notices Yuno gritting his teeth.

"... No." Yuno heaved out, holding back his tears.

While Yuno was trying to bottle his anguish up from the others, Corrin was still thinking about how [Recombination Magic: Full Collapse], was stopped.

The only thing that stood out from this phenomenon for her was not the fact that the spell itself disappeared, but rather...

 _"It's as of the [Recombination Magic] itself was no longer there..."_

To clarify her statement, what she means is that the "Recombination" part of [Recombination Magic: Full Collapse] was _erased_ , rewriting the spell as _[Magic: Full Collapse]_.

A spell needs both an [Attribute] and [Action] in order to activate. Take out either one, and the spell _won't_ activate.

But the mere idea of erasing [Attribute] was completely _asinine_. In order for that to happen ( _hypothetically_ ), the user then has to reach to the bare essentials of the magic itself, rewrite the laws established, and apply it to reality. Now, there had been reports of some magic _changing_ [Attributes], such as [Transformation Magic] being able to shift [Fire Magic] to [Water Magic], but _erasing_ it!?

Whoever did just that somehow managed to reach the conceptual levels of the established natural laws of magic, and made it its _bitch_.

But before her minds dives even deeper into the depths of this newfound revelation, she then hears... footsteps?

"EVERYONE QUIET!" Corrin yelled out while she cupped her right ear, listening for further footsteps.

She hears faint sounds of tapping echoing...

... From the depths of the _abyss_ facing the gates!?

Worse, the tapping is starting to get _faster_.

Corrin then tries to duck for cover.

"Corrin!?"

"EVERYONE! DUCK-!"

A cloud of dust and gravel was kicked up between the group surrounded by the light, and the gates that nearly killed them all.

Jericho picks the lamp off of the ground, shining the light into the dust cloud.

Out of the dust was a stout, but _stalwart_ figure clad in spiked, rusted black metal that can be described as "armor", obscuring the figure's features from head to toe, a _massive_ broadsword composed similarly of the armor's metal grasped firmly on the left hand, and to top it all off, a tattered, dark scarlet cape, with a black _five-leafed clover_ dotted at the center.

Simply put? In front of them was a literal _Black Knight_ from every fairy tale come to life (pick _any_ one, the character is very popular with children within the Clover Kingdom).

For the so-called "Black Knight"?

Behind the helmet was a _smile_.

An _unfeeling_ , _demented_ , and _sadistic_ smile that only a _Demon_ would make.

Because behind the helmet's layer of cold, black iron, was none other then **_Astaroth_**.

 ** _"Found you..."_**

The Fallen Angel Prince resisted the temptation to laugh out loud, for it was to be saved, _afterwards_.

... After the humans in his surrounding were all reduced to _worm food_.

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Been a while, folks.

I'm really stretching this whole Dungeon Exploration Arc quite a bit, am I?

Well, good news is, the next chapter will be the last of this brutal arc that would give Darkest Dungeon players a run for their money.

... You'll know when I get to that good shit.

Also worth mentioning, this AU's version of the Dungeon Depths is a _semi-Genius Loci_ , as shown by its _much-expanded_ arsenal of ways to off unsuspecting intruders.

New type of magic:

[Invocation]: uses the person's own _soul_ to power up its internal mana and allowing the user to use certain spells. Recommended to stock up on Ki before usage, so that the user's soul would not take as much damage, and of course, longer activation time.

* Example: [Stardust Crusader]- basically a personification of Jericho's [Platinum Magic]. A force multiplayer, allowing him to cast two of the same spells at the same time. But like all Stands, if [Stardust Crusader] takes damage, the user is also damaged.

Major shout-out to Gen3sian for commenting my AU Fic! To those of you reading his _The Outsider_ , thank you for supporting this fic all the way to this day! If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend this fic, for that fic was the whole reason for me to start drafting _Apocrypha_ in the first place.

And as usual, leave a comment or a review for this chapter and/or fic, for I'd like to know what my audience is thinking!


	22. Saga 22: Bad Company Finale

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 22: Bad Company (Finale)**

* * *

 **Dungeon Depths, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Evening)**

* * *

"Okay, is anyone hallucinating of seeing this Black Knight right in front of us, or is it just me?" Corrin spouted out.

"I don't think hallucinations make dents on doors and the floor, Corrin." Klaus stated.

"E-Either way, he saved all of us from being buried six feet under, right!?" Finral nervously chuckled out.

"Umm... I'm no mathematician, but you do realize that an entire Dungeon's worth of masonry is more then six feet deep, right?" Human!Fana stated.

 ** _"BURN IN HELL, YOU DAMN SOW!"_** Elf!Fana screeched out deep within the depths of Fana's subconsciousness. **_"NO ONE GIVES A FUCKING SHIT!"_**

"I... think you're... right Fana..." Mars mumbled out.

The only two adults in the room (Fanzell and Lotus) glance at each other in confusion.

"How long was it since he had a conversation with another person?" Fanzell asked the bearded man.

"... I think I stopped counting after I reached month number 10." Lotus answered while nervously stroking his goatee. "And that was around... a _year_ ago."

"... If it wasn't for the fact that your magic helped us out a lot back there, I would've tossed you into that smoldering crater behind us and leave you there." Fanzell smiled _threateningly_.

"Umm, is anyone going to mention the Black Knight standing in front of us?" Noelle pointed towards the armored figure illuminated by the dim light from Jericho's lamp.

"You want to think him for us, Noelle?" Mimosa teased her silver-haired cousin.

The Silva exile's face turns red in embarrassment.

"Now now, Miss Vermilion." Jericho pointed out. "It's not nice to bully other people."

The only ones not talking were Yuno and the Black Knight (Astaroth; but no one knows).

 _"... Why am I getting a distinct feeling that I've met him before?"_ Yuno thought.

Then the images of Asta and the Black Knight began to _blend together,_ confusing the youth even _more_.

For Astaroth/Black Knight, the only reason why he doesn't just go up and kill the lot like he was musing was rather... odd.

 _"This is way too much fun to watch. No harm waiting a few minutes."_ The Fallen Angel Prince thought. _"In fact, I could use this element of enigma to my advantage."_ He cockily mused. _"All have to do is just stand here and do nothin-"_

The sword embedded in the stone door then dislodges from the masonry and falls onto his head.

A loud *clang* sound echoes across throughout the darkness, ruining the Black Knight's mysterious image.

 _"... You know what."_ Astaroth thought. _"I think I've played around enough for one day."_

Astaroth then picks up Reject from the floor, right before putting it away behind his tattered, blood-red cape.

 _"Where the hell does he put that sword away into?"_ Everyone collectively thought.

Astaroth then takes the other, and massive black blade in his left hand, puts his right hand onto the grip with the left, mounts the blade over his shoulder, and swings the black guillotine down.

"There's no way that he'd cut that door down..." Klaus dismissively remarked.

He is then _immediately_ proven wrong by the door being cleaved in two right in front of the whole group.

No one says anything as the giant slabs of stone crumble before them.

As the fragmented gates give way, _golden lights_ then begin to emerge from the freshly-formed gaps.

The treasury reveals itself. Mountains of gold and jewelry. Rows after rows of ancient magical artifacts were lined up neatly. Mana particles lit up the inky darkness outside into daylight. Canals flowed in _all nine_ directions, defying the natural laws of physics and reality.

In short, an amalgamation of centuries of magical legacy has now been unearthed in view of the far-flung generation of mages.

The way is lit. Now they must push forth.

Astaroth then walks in first while stowing Ravager away behind his cape. The mages then follow closely behind into the open treasury.

"Hey!" Klaus then runs up towards the armored figure. "You can't just waltz in there! This Dungeon is classified Clover Kingdom property, and as a Knight of Golden Dawn, I order you to cease and desist!"

The Black Knight just keeps walking, ignoring the Magic Knight's orders.

"I said cease and desist!" Klaus then opens his grimoire. "[Steel Binding Magic: Bear Trap]!"

A pair of metallic maws clamp down around the Black Knight's ankles.

"Under the authority of the Golden Dawn, you are hereby under arrest!" Klaus approached the now-restricted Black Knight. "Surrender peacefully, and you will not be harm-"

The Black Knight _kicks_ off the clamp off of his feet and continues walking deeper into the opened treasury, ignoring the Magic Knight.

The bespectacled Magic Knight runs ahead of everyone else, adamant of making this armored figure listen to him and respect his authority.

"I said wait-"

The Black Knight then turns around and lifts up the Magic Knight off of the floor by his collar.

 **"Good grief, how do you people even deal with him?"** A _deep voice_ reverberated out of the helmet's vents.

A funny story behind the voice alteration...

 **(2 days prior...)**

* * *

 **Gallows Forest, Hidden Dark Elf Village, Clover Kingdom (Evening)**

* * *

 _"Hey Claudius." Astaroth asked the crouching Fallen Angel. "What're you looking for?"_

 _"Insurance." He replied. "Specifically, an additional layer of deception."_

 _"Can you explain?" The Prince asked._

 _"I'm looking for Mimishrooms." Claudius answered. "Local fauna around the Gallows Forest eat these to alter their cries to either mimic their prey's mating calls, or disguise their own calls with that of a predator's."_

 _"Okay, so what does that have to with me?" Astaroth asked._

 _"Found it." Claudius then presents a small, black-capped mushroom to the Fallen Angel Price. "Now milord, I ask that you suck in some air while keeping your mouth near the cap."_

 _"Umm... okay." Astaroth then moves his lips closer to the mushroom cap and begins to breath in._

 _Something then tickles his throat._

 _"So milord." Claudius then puts away the picked mushroom into a satchel. "Do you feel any different?"_

 _The Prince coughs out once before speaking._

 _ **"I don't feel any different-OHMIGOD WHAT'S WITH MY VOICE!?"** Astaroth freaks out over his voice now being 10-times deeper then his usual voice._

 _"The spores, milord." Claudius answered. "The spores landed on your vocal cords, which it then act as natural vocal filters on the folds."_

 _ **"Okay, but is there any way to get it back to normal!?"** He panicked._

 _"A simple sip of water ought to do the trick, but on its own, it holds off for until a week." Claudius then grabs Astaroth's hand away from the water. "And no, milord. You are not allowed to drink anything until after you get back from intercepting a Magic Knight's mission."_

 _ **"You do know that I'm thirsty, right?"** Astaroth stated._

 _"Milord, we're Demons." He then edges closer to the Prince's face. "It's all in your head, so let that distraction out of your head."_

 _Astaroth closes his eyes, calms down his panicked breathing, and opens them back up after recollecting himself._

 _ **"Huh..."** The Prince then comes to a realization. **"Now that I think about it, when was the last time that I've eaten anything?** "_

 _"That was roughly a month ago."_

 _Astaroth then cracks a smirk, realizing that he's now free from his past human limitations._

 _The [Eviscerator] that once carved a deep chasm into his shoulder back roughly over half a year ago?_

 _... It doesn't ache anymore._

 **(Back to the Present...)**

* * *

 **Dungeon Depths, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Evening)**

* * *

 **"Regardless..."** Astaroth stated towards the mages. **"It seems that we've come to a... _misunderstanding_."**

"'Misunderstanding', my ass." Corrin spat out. "You're acting real fucking fishy right now, ya know that?"

"That's right!" Mimosa called out. "If you're convincing us that you're not hostile, then let go of him now!"

Every other mage in the room then approach the Black Knight with the utmost caution, grimoires opened and reflexes twitching to be sprung at any given moment.

"Hmm?" Human!Fana's voice was heard from the back of the crowd.

"Fana!" Fanzell shouted. "Stay back!"

"Hmm?" The pink-haired girl then tries to peek through. "What's going on-"

Upon seeing a _certain_ red-caped armored figure in black, wielding a massive black blade, Fana's head then began to spasm in agony.

The girl bends over as she tried to alleviate her splitting headache.

"Fana!?" Fanzell called out in a concerned tone. "What's going on!? Are you all right!?"

"Fana!" Mars then runs towards his childhood friend. "Hang in there!" He then embraces her tightly, hoping that she wold calm down.

Inside Fana's head, elf!Fana was now clawing and raging her way out of the subconscious as human!Fana is rapidly drowning back down into it.

"... _taroth_..." She breathed out.

"... Fana?" Mars called out.

Mars then sees Fana's eyes.

Her irises shrank to _pinpricks_.

The pink-haired girl then _explodes_ into flames in Mars's arms, sending the ex-apex supersoldier flying back.

 **"AASSSSSSTARRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTH!"** Elf!Fana the sprints towards the Black Knight with reckless abandon.

 **"Tch."** Astaroth then throws Klaus towards the sprinting Fana, knocking the two away from him into a ramshackle pile. **"Claudius is either gonna get really mad, or really happy about learning all of this..."**

He then draws Ravager from his five-leaf grimoire that he hid behind his back, drawing an illusion that he's drawing out massive swords from nowhere.

 **"Either way..."** Astaroth then drags Ravager towards the mages, scraping out sparks as it continues to drag on the masonry. **"Now you all have a reason to quarrel with me unless you get out of my way and let me kill that whore that I just tossed back."**

"In your freakin' dreams, you tincan." Fanzell then draws his Estoc once more.

 **"You're way over your hill, old man."** Astaroth remarked as he slowly approaches the gaggle of mages. **"So get out of my way before I _force_ you into retirement."**

"And why should I-"

Before the two can continue, a pillar of fire erupts from a distance.

 **"Because of _that_."** Astaroth pointed towards the pillar of fire.

Luckily, Klaus managed to crawl away before Fana literally exploded.

"Oh brilliant." Klaus cursed. "I knew I should've euthanized her when I had the chance..."

 **"You couldn't even tie me down, four-eyes."** Astaroth yelled out from a distance. **"I strongly suggest _not_ pushing your luck today."**

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU HEAR ME ALL THE WAY FROM-you know what, never mind." Klaus then scuttles back to where the other mages were.

"So commander." Mimosa spoke out. "Your orders?"

The Golden Dawn Magic Knight then adjusts his glasses.

"FELLOW MAGIC KNIGHTS OF THE CLOVER KINGDOM!" Klaus declares. "OUR TARGET IS THE ARMORED FIGURE RIGHT IN FRONT OF US! SHOW NO QUARTER!"

The mages then ready their grimoires.

"FOR THE GLORY OF THE CLOVER KING-"

 **"ASTAROTH!"** Elf!Fana then springs over the Clover Kingdom Magic Knights as she herself was bursting in flames. **"YOU'LL BURN FOR YOUR SINS!"**

Astaroth bats her away with the flat of his Ravager, sending her _flying_ back into the air once more.

 **"NOT...!"** Fana heaved out. **"NOT YEETTT!"**

She then lets out a high-pitched whistle.

 **"SALAMANDER!"**

The puppy-sized lizard made of fire crawls across the stone floor.

 **"NOW BEHOLD!"** Elf!Fana roared out as the flames around her grew brighter and hotter. **"MY LOVE! MY SORROW! AND ALL OF MY HATE!"**

In response to Elf!Fana's desire to avenge her fallen comrades, a new spell is inscribed into her pages of her grimoire.

 **"[Fire Spirit Magic: Spirit Dive]!"**

The Salamander then jumps up into the air, reaching Fana before merging with her.

A bright ball of flames is formed where once the girl was.

"... Fana?" Mars called out in a soft tone.

"Oh crap..." Fanzell whispered.

"What's wrong?" Lotus asked. "... Wait, stupid question."

"I don't that's the Fana we know..." The red-haired man stated.

"Now what?" Jericho stated. "Do we assist or do we-"

 **"STAY OUT OF THIS, YOU DAMN HUMANS!"** Elf!Fana screeched through the miniature sun. **"I'LL DEAL WITH YOU FILTHY LOT LATER!"**

The sun disperses, revealing Fana's body now having a pair of dragon wings of sprouting out of her back, her cheeks and arms were covered in garnet scales, her eyes were now topaz and snake-like, and a tail with a flame burning at its tip was coming out of her lower back.

Within Fana's subconscious, human!Fana was feeling the sensation of the rising power flowing through her body.

.. And the pained rage strangling her very chest.

"Fana..." Human!Fana whispered in the darkness of their shared mind. "... What happened to you? What happened that made you feel this burning pain inside our-no..."

She then clutches her chest as _hellfire_ begins to illuminate the darkness within the inky blackness of their shared mind.

"... What happened to _your_ heart to fall to such depths of darkness?"

Outside...

 **"I'M GOING TO FUCKING BURN YOU TO ASH FOR WHAT YOU DID TO RAIA AND LICHT, _ASTAROTH_!"**

 **"And I'll rip your vocal cords out of your fucking throat right before my eardrums explode from your hysterical screeching, you damned hussy."**

With a roar, Elf!Fana charges towards the Black Knight with unrelenting rage.

 **"[Fire Spirit Magic: Salamander Crimson Claws]!"** A pair of flame claws form around her arms.

She then rakes the fiery talons on the Black Knight's armor.

They simply _slide_ off of the armor's surface, not even leaving a single dent.

 **"WHY!?"** She screeched out. **"WHY AREN'T MY ATTACKS GOING THROUGH!?"**

Normally, Astaroth would take this opportunity to gloat that his armor bounces off all forms of magic, but fortunately for him, Claudius _drilled_ him for the past several weeks to keep his mouth shut at opportune times in order to keep the element of surprise.

"... I think that guy's armor ignores _all_ forms of magic." Astaroth overheard Corrin's analysis.

... So much for the element of surprise.

Regardless of such triviality, her observation held more weight then anyone, including _Astaroth_ , realized.

By "ignore all forms of magic", what she actually means is that elf!Fana's [Fire Magic] lost all relevancy upon making contact with Astaroth's armor.

So while she _thinks_ that her [Salamander Crimson Claws] are bouncing off of Astaroth's armor, what's _actually_ happening is that she's just scratching his armor with her bare fingernails.

Elf!Fana doesn't realize that all ten of her fingers are now reduced to _bloody stumps_ , human!Fana inside of their subconscious was _writhing_ on the floor(?) in agony, as she felt all of her fingernails being slowly ground away (imagine having a needle being pierced between your fingernails while they're being ripped out, _slowly_ ) from the armor's sharkskin-like surface.

Fana stops, exhausted.

"... Are you done?" Astaroth asked.

With a yell, Fana then punches the armor instead.

 **"Why..."**

 **"Hm? What was that?"** Astaroth cupped his ear. **"Couldn't hear ya."**

 **"Why..."** She murmered right before continuing on with her punches on Astaroth's armor.

 **"YOU MURDERED THEM, YOU FUCKING MONSTER!"** She roared out with tears coming out of her eyes. **"WE ONLY WANTED TO LIVE IN PEACE! WE ONLY WANTED TO BE HAPPY! BUT THE HUMANS CAME ALONG AND BURNT OUR VERY LIVES DOWN ALL FOR THE SAKE OF SATING THEIR BOTTOMLESS GREED! SO WHY!? WHY DO DESERVE TO DIE TWICE OVER!? WHY!?"**

Her cries of indignation gradually devolves to inelegant and incoherent blubbering.

 **"Okay, this is actually funny."**

Fana keep punching Astaroth's armor while still sobbing.

 **"Now it's getting a little annoying."**

She just keeps on punching, her knuckles now on the verge of bleeding.

 **"Now it's just getting sad."**

 **"WHY!? WHY!? WHY!?"** She wept as every punch came out with her pleas, not noticing (or caring) that her fists are now drawing out blood.

 **"And now it's getting annoying again."**

In a flash, Astaroth puts away Ravager into his stashed grimoire, and pulls out Reject.

Just as elf!Fana was _unknowingly_ about to activate her [Third Eye], the Black Knight jabs Reject's pommel _into_ her forehead, with the intent of knocking her out.

... What he didn't expect to get out from a forehead, was an _eyeball_ , out of all things.

"... Hah?" Fana's rage and excess mana then begins to _dissipate_.

She then feels air going through a gaping hole carved onto her brows.

 **"Ughh..."** Astaroth moaned out. **"Gross..."** He then plucks out the eyeball pierced through the pommel before dropping it on the ground.

Fana then hits the ground once more, now blood spouting out of her forehead like a sanguinary geyser while her body was writhing in pain.

The Black Knight simply punts the flailing woman back to where the other mages were.

"FANA!" Mars then runs up and catches her from the air.

Fana now faints from the excess pain.

"Hang on! I'm going to heal you!" Mars then casts [Phoenix Robe] on her.

 **"Alright."** Astaroth puts away Reject and walks toward the end of the treasury. **"Now stop me if you can."**

"AS YOU WISH!" Klaus then comes charging forward. "[Steel Creation Magic: Fierce Spiral Lances]!"

A bramble of steel drills burst out of the ground towards the Black Knight.

Astaroth lets out a scoff right before punching the ground, uprooting all of the drills from their earth.

 **"Like I said before buddy, stop embarrassing yourself again."** Astaroth then approaches Klaus, and punches him into his gut, sending the poor bastard flying back.

The bespectacled mage then crashes through a mountain of gold.

 **"So anyone else?"** Astaroth taunted.

"We've got no choice but to fight." Jericho mumbled. "EVERYONE!" He rallied out. "COVER ME!"

"Right!"

Jericho then charges toward the Black Knight _without_ his [Stardust Knuckles].

 _"If my guess is correct, then magic won't work on him."_ He coolly thought. _"In addendum, his swords seem to also possess the same anti-magic trait, but the bigger one that he's holding is more then capable of cleaving through regular stone and iron like hot knife through butter, so it's safe to assume that the same can be said for flesh and bone. Not to mention, judging by its impact marks, it can also be said that blade is also heavy, which implies that the wielder is strong enough to wield it without issue."_ He analyzed. _"However, just because he's invulnerable to all forms of magic doesn't mean he's exempt from the laws of physics. Just because say, [Earth Magic] won't work on him, doesn't mean that he can't be staggered by the impact."_

Jericho then unrolls his fists into open palms.

"So in other words, I just have to beat you without using magic, right!?" Jericho declared as he continues to charge towards the Black Knight.

 **"One problem buddy."** Astaroth declared as he throws his own punch.

The black-armored fist lands _directly_ onto Jericho's face.

 **"Who says I needed my swords to kill you miserable lot?"** The Demon scoffed.

"And your next line is..."

 **"Huh?"**

Astaroth's fist then begins to _move away_ f _rom the mage's face against his will_ , revealing the cockily grinning face of _Jericho,_ with _both_ of his hands catching the armored fist.

"... 'How did you managed to catch my punch?'." He smirked.

 **"How did you managed to catch my punch?"** Astaroth asked in a dour tone, cursing himself to fall for the mage's machinations _twice_ at the same time.

"Simple really..." He grinned.

The giant youth then pulls Astaroth's arm towards him, right before slinging him over his broad shoulder and slamming him back onto the stone floor.

"I TRAIN!" Jericho roars out while the Black Knight lands on his back.

 _ **"Crap!"**_ Astaroth cursed. **_"I know that I'm stronger then him, but somehow, he managed to use all of it against me!"_**

To show you the context, here's what happened:

Right after finishing his sentence, Astaroth attempted to push his fist against Jericho's hands, attempting to overpower him in raw strength.

In reality, Jericho himself was counting on that to happen.

The moment that the Black Knight pushed his own fist against Jericho's palms, the youth then alternated his mitt to grabbing the Black Knight's wrist towards him, while at the same time, Jericho then pivoted his left side of his body to catch the Black Knight's body with his shoulder while lifting his body up with his left hand, and with the combined force of Astaroth's punch with Jericho's control redirecting it elsehwhere...

The Black Knight is slammed to the ground, leaving a small crater in his (unwilling) wake.

"... Almost died there." Jericho then looks at his bloodied hands, which it all came from touching the black armor.

 **"... You bastard."** Astaroth then slowly raises his head up.

"NOW!" Jericho then rolls towards the side, revealing Yuno and Corrin combing their spells together.

For those of your who haven't quite figured out on what's going on, then allow me (the writer) to enlighten you.

The concept of magic in this world has been the following: shoot magic, the magic itself does something.

That principal itself remains true to this day, but however, it became common practice to apply said principals onto others, such as healing and hurting, forgetting (or not regarding despite knowing) that said principal can be applied in _other_ ways.

Corrin's [Magnet Magic] at first, was consider by her peers to be rather lackluster in comparison. But all of that changed when she started to use nails to her allowance as ammunition, everyone began to assume otherwise.

In actuality, Corrin herself thinks that while her magic may be still a bit lackluster (which in itself is true), but the way that its used?

... It wasn't that hard to figure it out, actually.

Suddenly, she figures out the limitations of magic, and begins to plan out various ways to work around it, eventually figuring out that her [Magnet Magic] wasn't so useless at all.

Her [Magnet Magic] doesn't use mana itself to shoot things, but rather, she uses mana to fire out _physical objects_ (acquisition of said objects were required) at 2.4 km/s. In other words, she not using magic as offense, but rather the general principle of magic _itself_ as a weapon.

So what does that have to do with anything?

Well...

Imagine a gold coin between Corrin's index and middle fingers, held perfectly still in a magnetic flux, but vibrating from the stress of being pushed in all directions, and right in front of the girl taking a knee, was a tunnel of wind spiraling outwards towards the _Black Knight's_ direction.

"About damn time, Jericho!" Corrin the begins to buckle from the mounting kinetic energy that she's built up into a single, yul.

"NOW EAT THIS!"

Corrin then releases the coin from the flux, causing the gold coin to fire out in a golden blur.

 **"[Wind & Magnet Compound Magic: Psychic Railgun- Tempest Barrel]!"**

The golden bullet is then propelled by the wind funnel, doubling its speed, flying towards the Black Knight's head.

 **"Ohshit-!"**

The Black Knight is then sent flying back towards the wall behind him, crashing through, forming a hole on it.

Out of the hole, a black helmet rolls out of the darkness.

"... Did we get him?" Corrin asked.

"Don't know, but for now, we need to heal." Jericho stumbled back to where everyone else was. "Mimosa, can you heal my hands?" He shows his purple palms to the redheaded girl.

"R-Right!" She then opens her grimoire and casts [Fey's Pollen] onto his bloodied hands, reverting their pigments back to peach.

At the back, Fana's body was being wreathed in healing flames, slowly mending her broken bones and rend flesh.

"Hang in there, Fana." Mars breathed out. "I'm not letting you die like this..."

"You and me both, kiddo." Fanzell then approaches the two.

"... Teacher?" Mars spoke out. "Is that you?"

"We'll talk later." He then plants his Estoc between the gaps of the stone tiles. "[Wind Recovery Magic: Glittering Wind Star- Sirocco]."

A vortex of wind expands from the planted sword until it surrounds the three of them.

"There." Fanzell said. "This should speed up your [Phoenix Robe]'s healing."

"... Thank you, teacher." Mars said tearfully.

"Heh." The red-haired man snorted. "What kind of a teacher abandons his students?"

Elsewhere, Klaus was slowly waking up next to the same [Dream-Healing Flower Basket] where Luck's comatose body was at.

"Sorry." Mimosa spoke from the outside. "I running low on mana, so you'll have to share."

"... Reasonable." Klaus stated. "But no need."

The bespectacled man gets out of the basket, fully recovered.

"As you can see, I'm able to walk just fine-"

A _familiar-looking_ black blade bursts out of Klaus's side.

"W-Wha-?"

Klaus falls dead, with blood rapidly pooling underneath his corpse.

Mimosa screams in terror upon seeing Klaus get killed in a swift and brutal manner, catching everyone else's attentions.

"What's going on!?" Noelle runs toward the panicking Mimosa, her face turning blue in shock upon seeing the corpse of the Golden Dawn Magic Knight before her.

"Klaus!" Jericho then kneels down to check his pulse. "No good, he's dead."

"Oh fuck..." Finral gasped right before he vomits somewhere else.

"Not now, kid!" Lotus cried out. "It's too soon!"

All Yuno can do is fall onto his knees in blank silence, realizing that another person is now dead in front of him.

"Oh shit..." Corrin panicked upon hitting a realization.

She then runs up to one of the piles of gold for elevation.

Said realization? Let's let the words come out of her own mouth.

"I don't think that Black Knight has mana, so I can't spot him." She muttered as she then looked around frantically for the Black Knight.

 **"You don't have to look so hard, I'm right over here."**

All of the mages then turn attention to the hole on the wall made by Yuno and Corrin's combo attack, revealing the _now-helmetless_ Astaroth.

Yuno then recognizes that messy, ash-gray hair _instantly_.

"... _Asta_...?" Yuno blinked as the black headband wrapped around Yuno's wrist was being flicked with tears.

"Wait, you know him!?" Finral spoke out.

"That's Asta!?" Noelle pointed towards the figure in black armor. "But you said he was dead!"

The same can be said for the titular Fallen Angel Prince. But unlike his _now-mortal_ stepbrother, what Astaroth was feeling right now _wasn't_ tearful relief.

It was _blooming sadism_. The _exact same one_ that the Demon felt back at that time at the Gravitos Rock Zone, slaughtering all of the wannabe-revolutionaries like sickle to wheat.

 ** _"You know what, I think'll play with his feelings for a bit."_** Astaroth mused.

The revealed-Asta(roth) approaches the mages.

"Asta?" Yuno slowly scrambles up to his feet. "Asta!? Is that you!?"

The Demon lets the now-sobbing four-leaf approach closer.

"I'm glad..." He wrapped his arms around Asta. "I'm so glad that you're alrig-"

*SHRUCK*

A black blade _bursts_ out of Yuno's back, the tip of the darkened steel dripping with blood.

"... A-A... Asta..." Yuno choked through his own blood.

 **"Sorry pal."** Astaroth then rips the blade out of the four-star's own gut, right before jerking him closer, close enough for him to whisper the final words to completely shatter the broken youth's heart.

 **"He died six months ago."**

He's lying.

Asta himself was still alive, _technically_. And in fact, it was the very same one that just stabbed Yuno right just now.

Said stabbed boy was now hung like a freshly-slaughtered cattle on a meat hook in the Demon's grasp, still bleeding out from his stomach.

 _ **"That's odd."**_ Astaroth thought while looking over the squirming Yuno in his hands, bleeding out from both ends. _**"I only feel this kind of feeling when I think about Sister Lily..."**_

Or rather, used to, but Asta (prior to being revived as Astaroth) never went through puberty like Yuno did, hence his lack of a growth spurt despite being more well-built then him.

"Hey!" Noelle yelled out towards the unmasked Black Knight. "Aren't you supposed to be his brother!?" She stated in an angered tone, reminding of her times with her siblings and seeing the resemblance between the two relationships. "Aren't ashamed of yourself of treating your long-lost brother like this!?"

"LOOK AT ME IN THE EYE AND ANSWER ME, ASTA!" Noelle then points Aquila towards

 **"Okay, let me clear up a few things."** Astaroth stated nonchalantly. **"First, this _thing_?" **He points down towards the mage slowly _edging towards_ his death.

Astaroth then picks up the bleeding youth and throws him towards the group, with Lotus catching him in his arms.

 **"That _thing_ is no longer my brother."**

He's serious.

From the moment that Astaroth became a Demon, he'd willing cut off all ties with his former human self and the relationships that came with it.

It was by _death_ and remembering the last four hours as a human that Astaroth had learned the folly and the fickleness of human nature.

All of it he plans to make right by eliminating all magic from the face of this world.

Until then?

 _He's got some shit to work out._

 **"And second."** Astaroth stated. **"My name's _not_ Asta."**

He then points his blade, now with its center groove _glowing_ in a light jade color, forming a sort of a cross on the blade's flat. The Demon then winds his blade back before swing it back out.

 **"My name is Roth** _(he's lying)_ **!** **And I shall be your executioner!"** He declared. **"Serenade, [Black Hurricane]!"**

A pitch-black whirlwind then clouds the whole area in ominous winds, shrouding the whole area in darkness.

"EVERYONE!" Jericho roared out. "HOLD ON!"

Amidst the winds, Lotus carries the ailing Yuno through the winds of darkness.

"Not yet kid..." Lotus breathed out. "Not on my watch... HEY YOU! ROYAL!"

"Y-YES!?" Noelle yipped out.

"PLEASE!" He begged. "DON'T LET HIM DIE!"

"JUST WHO DO YOU THINK I AM!?" She then casts an orb of water beneath Yuno. "I'M A ROYAL! FAILURE IS NOT IN MY BLOOD! HURRY! SET HIM IN!"

"I'll pay you back later, promise." Lotus thanked the girl.

"H-HEY GUYS!" Finral cried out. "LOOK! THE WINDS!"

The dark winds begin to slowly dissipate, with light gradually returning.

"Wait a minute..." Corrin spoke out.

The winds continue to disperse slowly.

"... Where did all the mana go?"

True to her word, the dungeon's mana-particles were no longer present, giving the whole Dungeon a dead feel.

"Wait a second." Mimosa spoke out while looking around. "Where's Klaus's body?"

 **"Over here, dipshits."**

Right behind all of them was Astaroth, holding onto his retrieved helmet on one hand, and Klaus's corpse in the other, still with the Reject pierced through his side.

But now, he himself was surrounded by a group of cloaked figures, all with their faces bandaged, completely hiding their facial features. Even their eyes were covered with wooden visors to hide their eyes.

As if they want to keep their identities a secret.

"Okay." Corrin muttered out. "Not only I can't sense mana from Mr. Prince over there, but apparently, his posses are not radiating any trace of mana anywhere." She then starts to bite her thumbnail out of nerves. "Worse, the whole dungeon's treasury is now completely erased from that guy's [Black Hurricane], meaning that I can't use my mana sensory to find gaps in a mana field to detect them..."

 **"And finally."** Astaroth declared. **"Now that you've forced to me to reveal myself..."**

The cloaked figures then draw out their massive, inwardly-curved, boomerang-shaped knives.

 **"It's time for all of you to _die_."**

The Demon puts his helmet back on and pulls out Reject from the corpse before putting it away behind his hidden 5-leaf grimoire.

 **"Leave none alive."** He ordered.

The cloaked men then dash towards the mages with the intent to _maim_.

"PROTECT THE HEALERS!" Jericho then forms [Stardust Knuckles] over his still-bruised hands.

One of the blades strike upon the platinum gauntlets, sending sparks flying from the two clashing steels.

"EVERYONE!" Jericho yelled out. "THE BLADES THAT THE CLOAKED MEN USE AREN'T ANTI-MAGIC!" He announced. "GRIMOIRES FREE! BUT MIND THE BLACK KNIGHT'S BLADES!"

With those words heeded, the mages begin their counterattack.

Jericho fends off the steel blades with his [Stardust Knuckles], Fanzell parries the curved blades with his Estoc, defending Mars healing Fana without using his magic, Finral and Lotus were using their [Spatial Magic] and [Smoke Magic] to hop from place to place to confuse the cloaked figures, and Corrin was using her [Magnet Magic] to disarm the cloaked figures.

Upon being disarmed, the cloaked figures run back, pull out bow and stone arrow, which then they fire upon the poor girl.

"Oh shit!" Knowing the stone cannot be magnetized, she then uses her magic to construct a cover made of gold coins to block the oncoming arrows.

... Not realizing that Astaroth was behind her, blade in hand.

Astaroth thrusts his blade towards Corrin, but the sounds of coins clinging underneath his armored feet, causing her to notice his sneak attack and get the hell out of the way.

... Unfortunately, her right arm wasn't so fortunate. The black blade pierces through her elbow and out of her elbow, slicing her off her arm _entirely_.

"FUUUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!" She roared out as her right arm was severed off of her elbow.

Upon being distracted by the agony of losing a limb, her [Magnet Magic] shuts down in that window of time, causing the bunker of gold coins to fall over their heads, burying them both.

But that itself _didn't_ last long.

 **"Scatter, [Black Repel]."**

The pile of gold doubloons explode outwards, with the coins themselves acting as shrapnel.

A few stray yuls cut across skins of mages and cloaked figures alike.

The torn cloaks reveal their bandaged arms and legs, and several pouches tied around their bodies.

One of them rips off a small pouch and throws it down, releasing a flash of light followed up by smoke.

The rest of them do the same, cloaking their presence along with their lack of mana.

The whole room is now empty of these unknown marauders.

"Corrin!" Jericho called out, looking for the Golden Dawn girl.

"Oi..." A weak groan was heard under him.

Jericho looks down, and finds his foot on her left hand.

"Oh, sorry." He quickly stepped away from her hand.

"That was my only good hand, you jackass..." Corrin mumbled. "Also, can you get me out of here? I'm kinda buried up to my shoulders in yul."

"Right." Jericho then crouches down, and pulls out the chestnut-haired girl from her golden wreckage.

He is then taken back upon seeing her right forearm bleeding out of its stump.

"Don't worry." She remarked in a nonchalant attitude. "Once entire vault's worth of yuls come crashing down on your whole body, suddenly the pain of losing a limb doesn't feel so bad in comparison." She then looks back on her stump and winces. "Still lost a lot of blood, though."

"Well, we might want to stop the bleeding though." Jericho then picks up the girl over hos shoulder.

"Hey..." The girl's voice grows weaker. "Can you show me that metal arm that you found?"

Jericho then takes out the arm from his satchel.

She then snatches the arm then puts the arm onto her stump.

"Corrin?" Jericho spoke in a concerned tone. "What are you doing!?"

The sounds of _something_ protruding into her stump cuts off the conversation.

Corrin grits her teeth as the needles from the arm begins to collect her blood, as shown by the red fluids shown through the arm (and the fact that her bleeding coming from the gap between the as decreased).

Eventually, the straining stops, and the metal arm on Corrin's right stumps twitches.

She then raises her brand-new prosthetic.

"How did you know that arm was a prosthetic?" Jericho asked while walking towards Mimosa for healing.

"You said that you found it in a chest with nothing else in it, right?" She replied. "Call it pattern recognition."

"Astute, aren't you?" Jericho smiled slightly.

"Hey, my brain a part of me, so might as well use it to its fullest." She grinned.

The muscular youth then hoists up the girl over his shoulder before setting her down next to the comatose Luck.

Afterwards, he then checks on Yuno.

"How is he?" Jericho asked Noelle.

"Well, the stab wound and the bleeding is gone, but as for everything else, I..." She stuttered. "... I don't know when he's going to wake up."

"Do your best." He then pats Noelle's shoulder as he then heads towards where Mars, Lotus, Finral, Fanzell, and Fana were at.

"Hey kid." Lotus sighed out. "Holdin' up okay?"

"My hands stopped bleeding, so that's something to be happy about." He replied.

"Geez, forget about feeding the caravan, I don't think we'll have enough limbs to work with once we get out of this stinkin' hole..." Fanzell muttered while lifting up a small treasure chest off the ground. "Oi Black Bull! You doin' all right!?"

"You said it, Mr. Kruger. Not me." Finral spoke out while pocketing a few bits of gold and jewels with his [Spatial Magic]. "... What? Our mission is to collect as much relics here as possible."

"I won't judge if you take a few pieces of loose yul to yourself, Mr. Roulacase." Jericho stated. "Considering what we had to go through today, and fact that we literally dragged you out here, even I think you deserve some compensation."

"... I'll try not to get caught." He sweatdropped.

Jericho then looks at Mars healing Fana.

"How is she?" He asked.

"Fana..." He spoke out in a soft tone. "She's okay... but something feels wrong..."

"Hmm..." Jericho placed his thumb on his chin. "Call it a hunch, but do you think that she might've developed a _split personality_?"

"... What's that?" Mars asked Jericho.

"A split personality-disorder is when a person essentially develops, say... _another version_ of themselves." Jericho stated. "It is usually stemmed from that person trying to cope from, say... a _traumatic experience_." The youth then leans down to Mars's level. "Say Mars, what kind of an experience do you think she might've went through? I-I mean, I'm not asking for an answer, t-that's just my curiosity-"

"I killed her." Mars answered.

"... Pardon?"

The ex-apex supersoldier balls his hands until his knuckles turned white, as he bared his teeth while tears were flowing down from his eyes.

"... I am going to kill that son of a bitch." Mars growled out. "That bastard Morris broke both of us..."

With a pained yell, Mars raises his fists right before slamming them back onto the floor, leaving a web of small fissures upon impact.

"I AM GOING KILL THAT MORRIS BASTARD FOR WHAT HE DID ME AND FANA!" He roared out. "I AM GOING TO RIP HIS CHEST OPEN, SHOVE MY HAND UP TO HIS THROAT, AND RIP OUT HIS BRAIN FOR SUCH THING FOR CAUSING US ALL OF THIS SUFFERING AND PAIN TO US!" As he raged on, tears began to flow down even harder.

"FANA! EVERYONE!" He pleaded. "I'M SO SORRY I WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH TO STOP HIM! I'M SORRY THAT I WASN'T ABLE TO SAVE YOU ALL! I'M SORRY THAT I..."

His tears were now reduced to pitiful sobs.

"I'm sorry that I killed you all..." He choked out.

Suddenly, the [Phoenix Robe]-clad Fana spring up from her back, and embraces the crying youth.

"No..." Human!Fana whispered tenderly into Mars's ear. "I should be the one that's sorry..."

"B-But Fana-!"

She cuts off his words by locking her lips onto his.

"No Mars." She spoke while tears were coming out of her eyes. "It was my fault that I had to force you to make that choice..."

With a sniffle, the two then finally embrace in tears once more.

"So *sniff* Fana..." Mars asked Fana.

"Yes?" She spoke out while wiping her tears from her eyes.

"... Will you-"

Before Mars can say anything, the youth, with all of his residual superhuman senses, feels _something_ sharp and wide _poking_ through his back.

Knowing that dodging was impossible due to the speed that his senses were picking up, nor it was too fast to duck under it, he knew that if he didn't do anything, _both_ he and Fana _will_ die.

Only _one_ option was left.

Mars _shoves_ Fana down.

"... Mars?"

Out of his chest _burst out_ a massive black blade. Between Jericho and Mars, was none other than _Astaroth_ , with Ravager in his grasp.

In one swift motion, the Black Knight pulls out the blade out of his back, leaving a gaping chest wound behind on Mars's body.

"... Mars!?" Fana spoke out in an increasingly-panicked tone.

 **"C'mon you pink-haired bitch."** Astaroth jeered out. **"Heal him before he dies."**

"F-F-[Fire Recovery Magic-!"

In that split second, Astaroth draws out Reject and cleaves it clean through Mars's neck, _beheading_ him.

The pink-haired girl collapse onto her knees in shock as Mars's head rolls to her knees.

 **"Hey."** Astaroth quipped. **"Before you say anything, I _specifically_ said _'Heal him before he dies.'_. I didn't say anything about me cutting his head off."**

A childhood friend sees another childhood friend die right in front of the other.

Fana then begins to scream _uncontrollably_ upon seeing this demented replay of their tragedy, only this time, _she's_ the unwilling sole audience of this repeat performance.

 **"Now for what I came here for..."** The Black Knight then lifts up Fana by her hair as he places Reject's blade against her neck. **"... Time to put you down like the rabid bitch you are-"**

Out of nowhere, Salamander jumps onto his shoulder, crawls under the gap beneath the Black Knight's helmet, and starts lighting up _inside_ of it.

 **"AGHHHH! AGHHH!"** Astaroth flailed around, letting go of Fana from his grasp while dancing and flailing _away_ from her. **"GET OFF OF MY FACE, YOU DAMN LIZARD!"**

"Now's out chance!" Fnazell then draws his Estoc and thrusts the tip towards his helmet.

Unfortunately, the blade gets caught up in Astaroth's jerky motion, causing the tip to snap off from the rocking motion of the tip caught by the helmet's visor.

Salamander's heat _unknowingly_ had weakened the blade as well, making it easier to bend and break.

With a yell, Astaroth rips off his helmet, throws it to the ground, rips the crawling Salamander off of his now-burn-covered face, and throws the flaming lizard against the all behind the _now-broken_ Fana.

 **"Ahhh..."** The Black Knight sighed in relief as he picked up his helmet from the ground and puts it back on. **"Now where was I? ... Oh right-"**

He then sees that Fana and Mars's corpse was no longer present.

 **"Shit these bastards are slippery..."** He cursed. " **Ah well, guess I'm going to have to play hide-and-seek-"**

Suddenly, Astaroth finds his waist grabbed by Jericho's burly arms.

"You're not going anywhere, you son of a bitch." He growled out.

 **"You're right."** Astaroth then pulls out his brand-new sword that he managed to execute [Black Hurricane] with. **"Instead, how about _you_ go instead?"**

He twirls the sword around, then drives the sword's pommel upwards into Jericho's gut, causing him to spit up blood. Astaroth then takes this opportunity to _lift_ Jericho over his head and throw his whole body towards Noelle's direction.

 _"... In hindsight, that wasn't my brightest move."_ Jericho thought while he was flying like a flung-around rag doll.

He lands onto the pile of treasure next to her, scattering a few bits of gold and breaking open a treasure chest.

From the emerged treasure chest, a small ball of green light flew out like a firefly.

"J-Jericho!" Noelle then runs over towards the downed Black Bull.

"I'm fine..." He heaved out. "... More importantly, how's Yuno?"

"All it matters is now if he can wake up..." She sighed out as she herself walks back to where Yuno was.

... Not realizing that there was a _gun barrel_ pointed towards her direction from a distance.

In Noelle's [Naga's Womb], Yuno was slowly opening his eyes.

"H-Hey!" Noelle shouted out. "Yuno! He's waking up!"

Jericho looks towards where Astaroth is.

... Or rather, _was_.

 _"He disappeared on us again."_ He thought, now on high alert for where he'll pop up next.

Thanks to his heightened senses from his ki, Jericho suddenly smells a rather peculiar, yet _faint_ scent.

 _"... Is something burning?"_ He thought as he sniffed the air.

That "something burning" was _gunpowder._

Jericho quickly turns his head to spot a faint glimmer of light pointed towards _Noelle's_ direction.

"NOELLE, GET DOWN-"

*BANG*

The very first thing Yuno saw upon waking up from his recovery was a _small hole_ forming right between her eyes.

"... Noelle?" Yuno blurted out while his brain was processing on what was going on.

Noelle's [Naga's Womb] bursts as her ventilated head hits Yuno's torso, pooling blood on his bare torso.

"Noelle...?" Yuno whimpered out. "Noelle...!?"

His breathing quickens as the sight of her lifeless eyes stared right into very soul.

 _ **"This is all your fault."**_

 _"Shut up..."_ Yuno bit out.

 _ **"So much for a four-leaf."**_

 _"Shut up..."_

 _ **"Her blood is in your hands.**_

 _"Shut up..."_

 _ **"Can't be a Wizard King if you can't save even a single person, can ya?"**_

"Shut up..." Yuno voice _trembled_.

Then wind begins to gather around him, slowly transforming him into a cyclone.

"... Yuno?" Jericho muttered. "Yuno? Are you all right?"

The boy cannot hear anyone as of now.

For the world around Yuno was now frozen and monochrome, like that time during his encounter with Revchi.

"Huh..." Yuno looked around this eerily-familiar setting. "I'm here again..."

But only this time, he wasn't alone.

 **"Hello there."**

"Agh!" Yuno then falls to his rear, upon hearing a strange voice. "W-Who are you!? Where are you hiding!?"

 **"Over here!"** The ball of green light spoke out.

The ball of light disappears, revealing a small humanoid female in a lime-green one-piece dress with a pair of insect wings on her back.

"Who are you!?" Yuno asked the petite figure.

 **"You honestly don't know?"** She responded with a questioned look. **"Ugh, kids these days..."**

She then flies closer towards Yuno.

 **"I'm a Sylph!"** The Sylph stated. **"One of the Four Great Elemental Spirits! And you, my dear..."** She beamed out. **"You are now my next chosen user!"**

"Then please!" Yuno got on his knees and begged. "Please grant me the strength to protect everyone else!" He begged.

 **"Alright! Alright! Calm down, yeesh..."** The Sylph scratched her head. **"Just what were you facing up until now-"**

As she was turning around towards where Yuno was facing, her face turns blue from sheer horror.

 **"Why didn't you tell me that you were fighting against a _Demon_?"** Sylph asked.

"You something about them!?" Yuno asked.

 **"All I know is that they're bad news."** She replied in an alarmed. **"Look kid, I don't care what you and your friends are here for, you all need to get the hell out, and fast."**

"Those Demons have my brother." Yuno stated. "I think one of them has possessed my brother, Asta."

 **"Hmm..."** She scratched her hair once more. **"Then I suppose I have no other choice but to lend you my strength then."** Sylph then flies into Yuno's grimoire. **"Yuno."** She spoke out.

"Yeah!?" He replied.

 **"... Don't hold back."** The Sylph then disappears into the pages of the four-star grimoire, inscribing a new spell onto it.

The world around Yuno goes back into motion once again.

With his sorrow now transformed into rage, Yuno opens grimoire and prepares to activate his new spell. _"This is for you, Noelle!"_ With a roar, a _massive_ orb of spiraling wind forms right in front of him.

 **"[Wind Spirit Magic]!"** Both Yuno and Sylph's voice cried out together.

"Wait, [Wind Spirit Magic]?" Fanzell droned out.

 **"[Sylph's Breath]!"**

The massive orb of wind speeds itself towards where the sniper was.

 **"LEIF! GET DOWN!"** Astaroth's voice roared over the tempestuous winds.

He then points his newly-acquired blade towards the wind.

 **"Time to get to work, Demon-Dweller Sword."** He grinned. **"No..."**

Astaroth's grip on the sword's handle tightens.

 **"Let's do this, Reprisal!"** With a roar, Astaroth flies toward the oncoming ball of wind.

The sword's tip touches [Sylph's Breath], as it begins to slowly absorb the wind into its cross engraved onto the flat.

 _"That's what I was counting on, you son of a bitch."_ Yuno thought as he readied his other spell.

 _"That new sword that the Demon wearing my brother's skin had gotten from this dungeon can apparently absorb magic and fire out a version of that magic that can erase mana in its range."_ He analyzed. _"But depending on how big the spell is, the time taken will vary. So by using [Sylph's Breath] as a distraction, I can go for the one that killed off Noelle."_

A small disk of wind forms on his palm.

 **"This is for my brother, you bastards."** The disk then grows significantly bigger.

Yuno swings his hand outwards.

[Crescent Moon Sickle] was now gone, and in place, was a _stronger_ version of said spell.

 **"[Wind Magic: Zephyr Edge]."**

A perfectly-cut piece of masonry slides down from its neatly-separated base. Behind it, a head rolls down from it.

"Hah... Hah... I-I did it..." Yuno heaved out.

His labored breathing then turns to laughter.

"YOU SAW THAT YOU DAMN DEMONS!?" He loudly declared. "YOU'RE NOT SO INVINCIBLE AFTER ALL, AREN'T YA!?" Yuno then continues to laugh out in a deranged fashion.

 **"And you do realize that I've just finished absorbing your attack, right?"**

Yuno looks up to see that Astaroth's sword was glowing green once again.

 **"By the way, I'm going to kill you now."** He then swings down Reprisal towards Yuno's direction. **"Serenade, [Black Hurricane]."**

Before the wave of black winds can crush Yuno under, he instinctively activates [Air Bubble-Repulsor] to recoil himself out of the way, sending himself flying back to were Jericho catches him.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Jericho stated. "Now we might want to get back to where everyone else is-"

Far from them, they hear Mimosa's scream.

As they run closer, they find an arrow pierced into her arm.

"Are you alright!?" Jericho asked while Mimosa was struggling to pull out the arrow lodged into her arm.

Above her came down roughly a quarter-dozen of the Black Knight's cloaked figures, drawing out their knives and proceeds to _gut her alive_.

Her screams and cries of pain were _drowned out_ from the sounds of her flesh being _ripped_ and _torn out_ by steel and _teeth_ alike, and the pages of her grimoire being ripped out of its fading and _crumbling_ cover right before being put into small satchels that they had around their waists.

The [Dream-Healing Flower Basket] completely wilts upon Mimosa's death.

Corrin, now all healed up and awake, uses her [Magnet Magic] to polarize a couple swords stuck onto the pile of gold, and flings them towards her direction while dragging Luck's still-comatose body over her shoulder.

"I really need to hit the training grounds soon, Crimson Lion Kings's presences be damned..." She muttered as a portal opens right in front of her.

She jumps through and finds herself with everyone else (that were still alive).

"Okay, everyone all right?" Lotus asked.

"Barely holding on, especially my new arm." Corrin then presents her now slightly-less wobbly silver arm. "Oh and... really shouldn't say this, but I think I just saw Mimosa being... _cannibalized_."

She then rushes to the nearest corner to regurgitate.

"Okay then." The bearded man then turns to his red-haired friend. "... And I'm assuming that nothing needs to be said about Fana."

"I'll give you an A for effort, but even then, I'm being lenient." Fanzell stated bitterly.

The two adults now had to deal with a girl dealing with a very heavy personal loss. Mainly because of the fact that Fana is not letting go of Mars's severed head is not most ideal way to cope. But even then, the two adults were at a loss on how to deal with this, and not because of Fana reverting back to her violent/elf!Fana personality.

They were basically walking on eggshells at this point.

"... Wait." Corrin spoke out. "Where's Yuno and Jericho?"

"Out there..." Finral pointed out towards the clearing in the treasury.

"Then hurry up and send a portal out!" Corrin asked.

"One problem." He then pointed towards the Black Knight. "I saw that his swords and armor plating can shut down my [Spatial Magic] upon contact."

Outside, all Yuno and Jericho can do was run from the Black Knight.

 **"RUUUUUUUUNNNNNNN! RUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNN! I'M COMING FOR YOU!"** The Black Knight roared out in laughter.

 _"We gotta do something about those swords."_ Both Jericho and Corrin thought.

So now realizing that he was now out of all _sane_ options, Jericho then opts for the not-so-sane-option.

The [Platinum Magic] user then runs _towards_ the Black Knight.

"JERICHO! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!?" Yuno yelled behind Jericho's back.

"THE ONLY OPTION LEFT!" With a yell, Jericho then grabs the Black Knight's wrists.

 **"You do realize that the same trick won't work twice, right?"** Astaroth taunted.

Jericho merely smiles. "A single trick can be used in a hundred different ways. NOW!"

The Black Knight turns his head towards his left, catching a glimpse of Corrin firing out a gold coin towards him at the speed of sound.

Jericho then jerks his arms forward, bringing Astaroth's hands in the firing path of Corrin's [Psychic Railgun].

 ** _"Heh, I could just cancel it out now problem."_ **The Fallen Angel Prince thought.

... Two issues.

One, as well-honed as Astaroth's senses were, their overall execution can be described as _reckless_ , at best. Because strong as his newly-aquired Demonic biology was, the skill behind it was rather lacking.

Two, Corrin's [Magnet Magic]. He really didn't catch on the fact that her brand of magic doesn't use mana as a method of offense, but rather, the _laws of physics_ were her _only_ , and _deadliest_ weapon.

Simply put, Astaroth, in that _exact_ moment, forgot how to fight.

 ** _"... I really should've trained more."_**

Those were his thoughts as both of his swords were shot out of Astaroth's hands.

"NOW RUN!" Jericho then makes a mad dash towards the portal opened up in front of Yuno.

The two get through, with Astaroth hot behind their heels.

... It's a shame that his anti-magic armor cancels all forms of magic upon physical contact, because upon touching the portal, it instantly peters out the magic portal.

On the plus side, Yuno's right foot was _sliced off_ from the telefrag.

And thanks to the youth's screams of pain being heard from the distance, Astaroth can now tell where they were all hiding very easily.

After all, [Hermit's Thick Smoke] may shroud visibility and mana signatures, but _sound_?

 **"Hold it right there, you guys."** Astaroth called out. **"Let me get my swords before I butcher you all."**

The mages then turn cold in fear.

"... Guys?" Finral spoke out barely above a whimper. "I think I've figured the purpose of this whole treasury."

The mages then all turn their attentions towards Finral.

"The dungeon, the traps, the door..." He went on. "... It _wasn't_ all there to keep intruders out." Finral realized. "They were there to keep that... _thing in_."

His finger pointed towards the Black Knight.

Finral's theory, while _sound_ , was incorrect.

Astaroth and his cloaked entourage (the Dark Elves), were here since this morning. In fact, the dead mimic spotted in that lone chamber?

That was their _lunch_.

 **"Alright! Got em!"** The Black Knight cried out. **"Now all of you please hold still, and I can promise you all that it'll be _mostly_ painless."**

The Black Knight then begins to approach them with the two retrieved blades in tow.

 **"Time to die-"**

The whole dungeon then begins to glow red once more, with the alarms now blaring through the masonry once more.

 **"... Welp. Shit..."** Astaroth cursed. **"Guess time's up."**

In actuality, here's what happened that caused all of this mess to replay:

When Astaroth threw Reject through Klaus's sides, the blade had confiscated his [Steel Magic] in exchange for dropping the Dungeon's [Recombination Magic], since the Demon-Banisher Sword can only take one attribute at a time.

Upon the Dungeon regaining its [Recombination Magic], it went through a rather lengthy and absurdly complicated procedure to recaliberate all of its traps back into working order.

The whole process took about at least 10 minutes.

But all of that notion is hard to focus on, mainly because of the fact that the _whole Dungeon_ was now falling on top of everyone's heads.

 ** _"Eh, at least we have an escape route secured."_** Astaroth mused. **_"Wondered why Claudius insisted to secure multiple, but now considering on what's happening, I think he's proven himself right."_**

Away from prying human eyes, Astaroth transforms into his anti-bird form and flies away.

"FINRAL! GET US OUT OF HERE!" Jericho yelled out while wrapping his own Black Bulls robe around Yuno's bleeding stump where his right foot once was.

"R-RIGHT!" He then opens his grimoire and tries to open the portal, but this time with his _own_ magic.

A massive spatial gap opens below everyone, which everyone then falls into.

With the whole Dungeon now _devoid_ of all life, the ancient tomb has now outlived its purpose, and the only fate that it awaits it and its contents were an eternal rest within the depths of the earth, forgotten in the sands of time.

Outside, Finral's spatial gap opens up in the air, and out of it came out everyone as they fell to the ground while the whole dungeon collapsed behind them.

"Everyone..." Finral heaved out. "Everyone alright...?"

"I should be the one asking you all that."

Right in front the remaining party members was a royally-dressed man with short, bright blonde hair, and an asterisk right above his left eyebrow. Around him were several cloaked mages

"Oh look, its the Wizard King, Julius Novachrono-OH FUCK! IT'S THE WIZARD KING-"

Corrin was cut off by Julius raising his hand.

"Worry not." He stated. "I just simply came by on what's going on, and from the looks of it..."

He then looks at Corrin's silver prosthetic arm, Yuno's missing right foot dripping blood through his crude wraps, and Fana now _cradling_ Mars's severed head with a _doll-like_ smile and gaze on her face.

"... I'd believe there's more to this story then what I see face value?"

"Please for the love of god, I beg of you, do not bring my family into this-"

"Fear not, Lotus Whomalt, and yes, I know who you and your friend next to you are, but regardless." The Wizard King diffused the situation with ease. "But before that..."

He then looks around the ruined landscape around him as he let out a small sigh.

"You all okay coming by my place?" He asked. "It's not safe for open wounds to be in dusty air."

A portal opens by one of the mage's [Spatial Magic].

"Oh and, would you bring those three with our Magic Knights?" Julius suggested.

"But sir, with all due respect, aren't from the Diamond Kingdom?" One of the mages asked.

"I'm aware that they're our enemies, but I see this as opportunity." Julius responded. "I trust that you believe in my abilities to handle on my own, correct?"

The mage is then left loss for words.

"Then do please treat them like you do with your own." He addressed as the wounded Magic Knights were carried into the portal on stretchers or shoulder.

Julius then hears something drop onto the dirt.

"Hmm?" He then picks up a ragged black sash and a small glowing amulet with a round green gem at the center. "Well what do we have here..."

He then presses down on the gem, which causes the gem to project a message that states the following:

 **[Magic Item: Mind's Eye, Recording Complete]**

"Wait, recording?" He mused.

Julius then looks back at the collapsed dungeon.

 _"I should hold onto this until that boy Yuno wakes up..."_ He thought as he pockets the sash and medallion.

[Lord Julius!] A projection of a turquoise-haired man's face appeared next to Julius.

"Oh hey, Marx." The Wizard King responded. "What did I miss?"

[About 200 pages worth of legal documents involving the Hapshass Family and the surrounding terms of conditions for their son, Salim, to serve-]

"Bored." Julius cut off his sentence. "And besides, I've got something bigger behind me right now."

[I'll hear it out, but only if you get your rear back on the desk right after your possibly ridiculous request-]

"I need you to send me a squadron of Magic Knights to watch over the ruined dungeon." Julius requested. "Something doesn't feel right here."

Marx is taken back by his sudden shift in tone.

[U-Understood, sir] Marx stated. [I'll send a request to all nearby Aqua Deers and the Coral Peacocks to each send a detachment force to patrol the dungeon exteriors.]

"Thank you." Julius stated. "Also, can you tell the staff to brew some green tea or some black coffee?" He requested. "I got a feeling that I won't be sleeping tonight, with all the work and whatnot."

Marx's face then tears up with _joy_ , because for the _first time_ in his 5-year career as the Wizard King's secretary, the Wizard King is about to do his paperwork upon his request.

[Yes sir! Right away!] He beamed out.

* * *

 **(Former) Dungeon Exterior, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Midnight)**

* * *

 _"Well this is unexpected."_ Claudius muttered internally from the treetops as an anti-bird.

After his Prince returned with the Demon-Dweller Sword and the beheaded corpse of Leif (their only casualty) along with his _Tanegashima_ , _Dainsleif_ , Claudius and a few other Fallen Angels took it upon themselves to find scour the area after exploration.

What he did not expect was an _entire camp_ of Magic Knights to be there.

Normally, he himself would be more then a match against this gaggle, but upon seeing that they were giving hourly briefings through a magical orb, the plan of attack was immediately retracted.

"Damn..." He cursed. "These damn mages are actually using their brains for once..."

Below the treetops, Claudius then hears a _hissing_ sound.

He quickly hops down to a lower branch, and sees a black snake with a green diamond pattern formed by four, smaller green diamonds.

The snake then gazes at Claudius's anti-bird form in a _flirty_ manner.

 _"Oh fucking brilliant..."_ Claudius cursed. _"Out of all other Demons trapped in this plane, why did it have to be her?"_

Once the snake reaches the thickest part of the forest, the snake then transforms into a scantly-clad, female humanoid figure, with sharp topaz snake-eyes, moonlight reflecting off of her tan skin, and an array of black scales climbing up from her hips to the fringes of her cheekbones.

"Milord." The woman spoke through a small, bone-colored device. "It seems that the Fallen Angel Faction are stationed in the Clover Kingdom."

 ** _"Is that so?"_** A young but monotone voice responded. ** _"Then return to the Diamond Kingdom immediately. I need you to revise the High-Mobility Units #1-20."_**

"With all haste." She then puts it away before pulling her hood outwards to hide her demonic features.

Upon reaching the clearing, she then finds her surrounded by bandit mages.

"Alright, missy." One of the bandits chuckled out. "Either cough up all you have, or strip."

"Oh my." She responded. "Are all Clover Kingdom natives thi _sssss_ rude?" The scales around her cheeks begin to grow a bit further out.

"Boss, I don't like how she talked back to us." The other bandit spoke to his leader. "Can we rough her up first before we have some fun with her?"

The bandit leader then chortles. "Break all four of her limbs if you wanna. Just keep the baby room intact."

Then all of the bandits surrounding her then bumrush her with their magic.

"Eat this!" The thug then opens his grimoire. "[Stone Mag-"

The bandit's head is separated from his neck as his headless body tumbles lifelessly to the ground.

"Aw, what' _ssssss_ wrong?" She hissed out.

A stray gust of wind blows by, throwing off the Demon's hood, revealing her snake-eyes and black scales.

"A-A MONSTER!" The bandits screeched as they panicked.

"Don't panic!" Their leader shouted out. "It's just one person, and a woman to boo-"

The Demon then appears right in front of the corpulent bandit leader, and his fat neck was now gashed open, spraying out blood right in front of her scales and face.

She then turned back as she licked a drop of blood sprayed onto her cheeks with her _long_ and _forked_ tongue.

"Here' _sssss_ my advice _ssssss_." The Demon hissed out.

One of the bandits pisses himself.

 **"Run."**

The forest remains silent as the Demon continued with her onslaught against the bandits, for not one of them lived long enough to let out a single decibel's worth of screaming.

The clearing was now littered with headless bodies as the black serpent slithers away into the brushes.

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Holy shit, it's been a while, huh?

Let's just say writer's block is a bitch and a half to deal with, especially if you're juggling three other fanfics at the same time.

I have commitment issues, and that's why I don't pursue long-term relationships.

And on another note, finally, the long-ass Dungeon Exploration Arc is OVER!

The only things lost? Two of canon!Asta's love interests/shipping fodder, Mr. Four-Eyes (never liked him and saw no purpose in his character), Mars (I'm just that cruel), Leif ("too powerful to live" [because he has a _matchlock rifle_ ] and "kill the cutie" at the same time), and only two limbs were amputated (three counting Mars's head).

Good times.

Also in this chapter: how many Kaguya-Sama: Love is War references can you find in this chapter?

Next up: a prequel chapter taking place in the Diamond kingdom as we explore this new Demon and her unknown master.

Hypothetical Voices (for funsies):

Black Knight/Astaroth's _Filtered_ Voice: Joji Nakata (JPN), Patrick Seitz (ENG, imagine Asta with the voice of DIO)

Also, regarding the manga:

Is it just me, or is the whole shit starting to turn into a compressed version of Naruto's 4th Ninja War Arc?

Seriously, I think the author is just going full-auto in that arc, and its gotten to the point that there are so many ass-pulls that would make Fairy Tail blush.

So what do you guys think of this chapter?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd love to know what my audience is thinking.


	23. Saga 23: Snake Eyes

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 23: Snake Eyes**

* * *

 **Diamond Kingdom Capital Sparta, Diamond Kingdom (Evening)**

 **10 years ago...**

* * *

 _A lone boy walks towards a brick building where the other kids of his age were heading._

 _Compared to the other kids, he himself was rather... different._

 _For one, he had no parents to speak of, unlike other kids, where they all had at least had one parent._

 _Another reason was the fact that unlike other kids, he himself was rather squalor in comparison._

 _Whereas the others had clean and intact clothing, he wore nothing but rags all over himself._

 _Another? He himself was on the verge of death whereas the others were well-fed in comparison._

 _And finally, whereas the other kids walked towards the building in order to become stronger for the sake of the kingdom._

 _He himself just wanted a piece of bread after a week without food._

 _As he and the other kids entered an isolated chamber, the man on top of a balcony spoke something about the word "initiation" to see if that they're "worthy"._

 _He did not know what those words meant until he and the other kids saw what were slithering on the ground._

 _Death Adders. A species of animals that are native to the Diamond Kingdom that are more likely to bite down their lethal venom onto people with less magic._

 _All of them headed towards him, their sharp fangs sank into his skin._

 _For he had no flesh to speak of._

 _All he felt for the last seconds of his life were two things._

 _A burning sensation smoldering inside of his chest, killing him slowly._

 _And the sounds of his empty stomach begging for its denied last meal._

* * *

 **Limbo**

* * *

 _The boy opens his eyes, only to find himself in a word devoid of all color._

 _He slowly stands up with his skeletal legs, trembling with every attempt._

 _His hollow feet touch the ground, only to feel nothing._

 _He then hears a soft and wind-like voice ring through his wilting ears._

 _"Are you dead?"_

 _What does the word "dead" mean?, he thought._

 _Right in front of him, a tree sprouts right in front of him._

 _As the tree grew, eventually baring fruit._

 _The boy cared not for what kind of fruit it was, only the fact that it was food._

 _He dashes towards the tree, scaled up its trunk and branches until his hands grasped one of them._

 _With reckless abandon, he picks the fruit, and bites down onto its fresh skin and juicy flesh._

 _Within a single bite, the boy's head begins to ache, dropping the bit fruit, and he himself falling from the tree._

 _Images of a giant figure standing before a great fire, the rain of light that people ran away from, and a massive shining object that went through the same giant._

 _But, above all else, the boy felt different._

 _"I ask of you once more..."_

 _The now understands what those words mean._

 _The winds are telling to answer again._

 _But what question?_

 _"Are you dead?"_

 _Dead._

 _The word... "dead"._

 _The absence of life._

 _The cease of dynamics._

 _The fading of all sensation._

 _The boy now understood._

 _He himself, was "dead"._

 _"Am... am I dead?" The boy spoke out._

 _"Yes. You are."_

 _"... What now?" The boy asked._

 _"There is nothing else to be done."_

 _The boy then begins to walk._

 _"Where are you going?"_

 _"Somewhere else."_

 _"Do you know where?"_

 _"Dunno."_

 _"What if there's nothing else waiting?"_

 _"There was nothing for me there or here, so I can't tell the difference."_

 _"Why don't you care?"_

 _"It does nothing."_

 _"What do you mean by the word 'nothing'?"_

 _"Something that doesn't concern me in the slightest."_

 _The voice within the air goes silent for a while as the boy continues to wander._

 _"Do you wish to do something about it?"_

 _The boy is now loss for words._

 _A chance to do something._

 _Something other then wander around aimlessly._

 _Something other then scrounge for bits of food._

 _Something other then be bound by the shackles known as a "human body"._

 _"Come now, I'm waiting."_

 _"... I want to do something."_

 _"Oh? And what is that 'something'?"_

 _"... My 'human body'."_

 _"And what parts of your human body are you talking about?"_

 _"... Everything that makes me weak."_

 _"Give me a few examples."_

 _"Hunger, trembling legs, dry lips, dark vision, head hurting, cold feeling, pain all over... I..."_

 _"'I' what?"_

 _"... I just want it to disappear, forever."_

 _Then the soft voice then turns to sharp and shrill laughter._

 _Then in front of the boy, the black ground's surface began to bubble._

 _From the ink-like foams emerged a giant black_ _serpent with a green diamond pattern on the top of its head._

 _A giant Death Adder towered over the boy._

 _"Tell me..."_

 _The boy's feet trembles under this alien feeling._

 _"Are you afraid?"_

 _The boy's head nods up and down._

 _"Do you wish to be rid of such feeling?"_

 _The boy nods once more._

 _"Then stand firm."_

 _The boy then wills his trembling legs to a standstill._

 _"Now keep your feet on the ground."_

 _The Death Adder then charges towards the boy._

 _The boy, even when his body felt like it wanted to wither under this terrible beast, his will won't allow his body to succumb to the suffocating darkness._

 _Change was present, and for the first time since he remembered living, he wished for something other than food._

 _The word, the objective, the purpose..._

 _"_ _Tomorrow."_

 _The boy then begins to walk through the darkness._

 _"Tomorrow."_

 _Even if his feet began to give way, his will refused to succumb._

 _"Tomorrow."_

 _There was something for him, and no one else was there to take it from him._

 _"Tomorrow."_

 _He won't go hungry._

 _"Tomorrow."_

 _His body won't ache._

 _"Tomorrow."_

 _He won't be weak ever again._

 _"Well done."_

 _The darkness around the boy fades back to the blank white sky._

 _"You've shown that you still wish to live, despite your lack of desire and will."_

 _"Was that... desire and will?" The boy asked._

 _"Desire and will occur when a person grows past just their basic needs, such as food and water being accounted with clothes and love."_

 _The boy looks at his bony, frail, dirty, and naked body._

 _Suddenly, he feels... odd._

 _Like if he needs to put on something._

 _"Feel that? That is desire."_

 _The word "desire", means "fill out" the "empty"._

 _The boy looks around in panic, looking for something to cover up his shameful looks._

 _The trees with the black fruits._

 _The leaves will do, the boy thought as he hurried towards the tree._

 _He climbs up the trunk, picks leaves off of the trees, and covers himself as much as he can._

 _Out of instinct, his hand reaches out for another black fruit, but stops before he can do so._

 _His stomach was now hurting, but not because it was empty._

 _But because it was full._

 _"Feel that? That is will."_

 _The word "will", means "control" over "me"._

 _"Control" is the force that moves everyone._

 _Suddenly, he's not hungry for food anymore._

 _He's now hungry for control._

 _The boy climbs down the tree, and begins to inspect it by groping the trunk and roots of this tree, hoping to find something that he can move._

 _Suddenly, the tree itself begins to move._

 _Its roots begin to overgrow out of the black earth, its branches twisted itself into hands, and the trunk itself fractured into a face, glowing eyes and sharp-teethed mouth._

 _"See that? That is something that's stopping your desire and challenging your will."_

 _The boy was confused with his next course of action._

 _Until his stomach grumbles as the hollow feeling returned once more._

 _"Are you hungry?"_

 _The boy nods._

 _"Then **kill**."_

 _The boy now lets go what little inhibition he had left._

 _No longer he will stay as the weakling that was doomed to die the day after._

 _If he's going to die, then he'll die by reaching out not towards salvation._

 _But towards desire._

 ** _"Take."_**

 _The branch-hands impale through the boy's stomach._

 _Undeterred even with the pain contorting his frail body, the boy pulls the branch arm towards him, inching him closer towards the black fruit._

 ** _"Rob."_**

 _The other arm rakes its thorny claws across his face, slashing both of his eyes out._

 _Even blinded, the boy remembers only one direction._

 _And that is "ahead".  
_

 ** _"Tear."_**

 _The boy then feels his right leg being torn off by the tree's teeth, bone and fiber being ripped from his very being._

 _He simply ignores the pain shocking his whole body as he drags forward._

 ** _"Kill."_**

 _The boy finally grabs onto something._

 _Fruit or not, he simply tears it off of whatever it was attached to, caring not where it came from._

 _Sensing the opportunity, the boy then begins to stab the branch-arm with whatever he snapped off._

 _In his hands was a branch, with a rear tip sharpened from being broken off._

 _The boy drives the tip into the arm._

 _It goes through like a rusty nail through a pus, as the boy feels something splashing onto him after staking the object into the tree's arm._

 _Suddenly, the boy then feels something off._

 _Due to his current lack of eyes, he cannot tell the fact that he and the tree are falling down._

 _Its only the fact that the boy feels that his head was hit by something that he registers that the tree had stopped moving in to kill him._

 _Either that, or the tree was about to bring him down like a rock again._

 _"Congratulations."_

 _The boy looks around despite the lack of proper vision._

 _"You've now experienced what it means to live."_

 _"This... this is life?" The boy spoke out. "But it feels the same as before..."_

 _"Do you hate it?"_

 _Even if the boy knew not what the voice said, this was the only response that he can come up with._

 ** _"I do."_**

 _"Then the branch that you've grabbed onto."_

 _The boy gropes the branch._

 _"Find a fruit, pick it from the branch, and eat it. But hurry, for it will rot if you don't."_

 _Scrambling, the boy's hands shuffle through the fruit._

 _The first melts in his grasp._

 _The second was dried up to a husk._

 _The third was hard as a rock, most likely to shatter his teeth._

 _"Time runs short. Quickly!"_

 _The fourth fruit..._

 _... was fresh._

 _He picks the fruit, shoves it into his mouth, and swallows it whole upon entry._

 _The fruit enters the pit of his_ _stomach, like a boulder sinking towards the bottom of a pond._

 _His body then begins to contort outwards._

 _Missing limbs growing back out, slashed-out eyeballs reappear along with his vision._

 _"Now I shall ask you again."_

 _The boy struggles up to his feet._

 _"Do you hate it?"_

 ** _"I still do."_**

 _The boy's expression was that of an unfeeling stone._

 _"Do you wish to be rid of **all** of it?"_

 _"... When does it happen?"_

 _The voice lets out a small chuckle._

 _"Just close your eyes. And upon opening them, follow the Death Adder with a green diamond on its forehead."_

 _Follow a Death Adder? The very thing that killed him?_

 _"Fret not. For a human can only die once."_

 _"So even if I get bit, I won't die?"_

 _"You won't be hurt ever again. That I promise."_

 _With those reassuring words in mind, the boy closes his eyes._

 _"Tell me boy... what is your name?"_

 _The movements of the boy's lips read the following._

 ** _"I don't have a name."_**

 _The boy's body sinks into the black earth, towards his next_ _destination..._

* * *

 **No Man's Land, Clover/Diamond Kingdom Borderlands (Dawn)**

* * *

 _The boy opens his eyes to see the star-dotted skies._

 _He wakes up on top of a pile of rotting corpses, with all of them looking like kids in his age._

 _He minds not of the visage nor stench as he slowly gets up and starts to climb out of the hole that these forsaken children were thrown in._

 _The boy cared not of them or their kin._

 _Upon climbing out of the ditch, he then spots a Death Adder with the green diamond on its forehead, waiting for him._

 _"... The voice said that I should follow you."_

 _The serpent then slithers away from him, with each hiss goading the boy to follow it._

 _He follows it as the snake continues to slither away._

 _The dawn sky slowly brightens into daylight._

 _As the sun rises into the sky, the snake and the boy head towards the shade._

 _The boy then realizes that he can't feel hot or cold, but pays no mind to it as the two head their way into a cave._

 _The boy expected the cave to be dark, but somehow, he was able to perfectly navigate through the tunnel despite no light coming through._

 _The serpent then stops at the pile of rocks standing in the middle of an empty chamber._

 _"A pile of rocks?" The boy spoke out. "What am I supposed to do with it?"_

 _He then places his hand onto the pile, which it then crumbles down._

 _Beneath the gravel, peeked out a peculiar-looking pattern._

 _"... A grimoire?" The boy picked through the rubble._

 _The grimoire is then excavated, revealing its cover to be that of a diamond-like pattern made of four other diamonds that formed another four-pronged diamond in the middle._

 _The boy touches the grimoire with his bony hands, and upon contact, the grimoire then begins to glow in a blackish-green color as it slowly begins to float on its own._

 _"What... what is this feeling?"_

 _The Death Adder then slithers up from his leg and up to his shoulder._

 _The snake then begins to hiss into his ear, saying something along the lines of this:_

 _"Now find something that is alive."_

 _The boy then hears something flapping in the air._

 _He looks up to see a bat._

 _"Point your finger towards it."_

 _He raises his finger towards the flying cave rat._

 _"Now focus."_

 _His vision then focuses on the now hanging bat._

 _"Now picture it without its wings."_

 _The bat then falls onto the cave's floor with a splat._

 _"What..." The boy stuttered. "What... was that?"_

 _"That, my prince..."_

 _The Death Adder then slides down from his body and back onto the stone floor to devour the dying bat whole._

 _After finishing eating the bat, the snake then slithers towards where the rock once was._

 _The Death Adder then begins to melt into a shadowy blob, slowly transforming into a dark-skinned, black haired, and buxom female figure with glowing topaz snake-eyes, black scales adorning her cheeks, and a small green diamond mark on her tan-skinned forehead._

 _"... Was the power of a **Demon**."_

 _The boy then stumbles onto his rear as he slowly backs away from the snake-woman._

 _"W-WHO ARE YOU!?" The boy cried out in the darkness._

 _The snake-woman giggles right before quickly creeps towards the stumbling boy._

 _"I am an ally." She hissed in his ear, her forked tongue tickling his eardrums._

 _The boy is still perturbed by this woman-nay, Demon's voluptuous chest and curves caressing all over his bone-dry body._

 _"Wha-What's your name?" The boy asked._

 _"Oh?" Her snake eyes lit up. "Do you now?"_

 _The female Demon then gets off of the boy._

 _"Thy name is **Cleopatra Mara Bodhisattva**." She stated. "And I'm a Demon."_

 _Cleopatra then approaches closer to him._

 _"A Lilith, to be specific." She stated._

 _The boy just looked at her alluring face and curvy body awkwardly._

 _"Umm..." The boy sounded out. "What did I just do?" He asked. "And what do mean, 'power of a Demon'?"_

 _Cleopatra then stands back up and leads the way._

 _"Perhaps its best for you to see it for you to see it for yourself."_

 _The boy then continues his way deeper into the tunnel, with the grimoire in tow._

 _As he and Cleopatra continue to walk deeper into the caves, a faint glow emerges from the distance._

 _"Where are we going?" The boy asked._

 _The Lilith then lets out a small chuckle._

 _"My humble abode of over 500 years of free rental." She slyly smirked._

 _The two then reach a cavern, surrounded by glowing moss and fungi dotting the walls, piles and piles of tattered old grimoires, forgotten to time and memory, crudely-carved-out stone statues of a person sitting and raising its right hand in front of its chest, rusted weaponry scattered about on the damp stone floors, and at the very center, was a pond, bouncing the light from the fungi and moss off of its reflective surface, illuminating the whole cavern._

 _But despite these overwhelming senses, the boy doesn't feel bothered the slightest._

 _In fact, while he can still identify the ground as "wet", he can't feel the dampness's coolness._

 _He then looks behind himself to see Cleopatra casually pushing a boulder three-times larger then her, blocking the way he and the Lilith came from._

 _"This should keep out eavesdroppers." She remarked. "So my prince, how is it here?"_

 _The boy looks around the illuminated caverns with stone-faced indifference._

 _"This..." He muttered out. "... I have nothing to say."_

 _"... Regardless." She stated. "About 'seeing it for yourself'..."_

 _Cleopatra then grabs the boy's wrist and pulls him closer towards herself._

 _"Look towards the waters and see what I mean."_

 _The boy then looks towards the lake._

 _The waters then reflect his face._

 _For the most part, the boy's face was human; pale white skin from malnutrition, sunken eyes and cracked lips from dehydration, and a pure-white hair with a single black stripe running down down to his left brow._

 _Mostly, "human"._

 _If one weren't to count the black scales dotting his cheeks, the topaz snake-eyes, the sharper and longer canine teeth, and a forked tongue, then he would pass off as a human._

 _"... I'm like you now." He muttered towards his reflection._

 _"You did state that you hated it." Cleopatra stated. "You never specified on which part of life you hated."_

 _The boy then gets up and walks away from the lake._

 _"And in all fairness..." She continued on. "Your human body was already on the verge of decomposing by the time I've found it, so I had to... make adjustments so that it won't fall apart."_

 _"Wait." The boy spoke out. "... Why me, specifically?" He asked. "Why my body when there were others?"_

 _"Isn't obvious?" Cleopatra answered. "Your body was incompatible with mana to begin with. You know what that meant?"_

 _"That I was destined to die early from the moment I was born into world?" He stated glumly._

 _"There's more to that, my prince." She stated._

 _"And I meant to ask, but what's with the 'prince'?" He asked._

 _"I was just getting there..." She pinched the bridge of her nose, her patience running low._

 _She then walks towards the boy and places her hands onto his shoulders._

 _"The point is..." She sighs out. "... You're the reincarnation of the Demonic Prince of Death."_

 _"... You're joking, aren't you?" He stated with doubt._

 _"Does the scales and fangs tell you otherwise?" Her voice was now on the verge of losing her sanity._

 _The stone-faced expression on the boy's face didn't help matters._

 _"... I don't know what to make of all this." The boy stated. "With all of this..."_

 _"Power?" Cleopatra replied. "Hm, now that I think about it, you've never known the idea of power until now, haven't you?"_

 _The boy nods._

 _The Lilith then rub her temples while grumbling to herself._

 _"Very well." Cleopatra spoke out. "I shall be the one to teach you the ways of your heritage and your powers."_

 _The boy then looks at her._

 _"Tell me..." The boy asked. "What is this grimoire? And what are its powers?"_

 _The Lilith smiles._

 _"The Hollow Diamond." She points towards the grimoire held in the boy's hands. "And it contains the power to dictate the concept of 'Death'."_

 _The boy's eyes widen upon this harrowing revelation._

 _"Yes!" She cried out. "In other words..."_

 _Her scaled hand then points towards the nameless boy._

 _"THE POWER OF [Death Magic]!" She exclaimed. "IS NOW IN YOUR HANDS, MY PRINCE!"_

 _The nameless boy blinks, not sure to make of what just transpired._

 _"... You know what?" Cleopatra stated with a resigned expression. "I teach you as we go along. Sound good?"_

 _The boy nods without a word._

 _"Finally..." She sighed out. "... We're going somewhere."_

 _And with that, the boy's training begun._

 _"So boy." Cleopatra spoke out. "Just what do you think [Death Magic] does?"_

 _"... It kills things?" The boy replied._

 _"... Metaphorically true." She replied. "As in, while it can 'kill things', the amount of things that it can 'kill' are rather... too broad."_

 _"In what regard?" He asks._

 _"Let's use that bat as an example." Cleopatra stated. "Normally, you could've just killed it, but how? That itself it the crux of [Death Magic]. You don't just simply 'kill things'."_

 _She then takes out the dead wingless bat._

 _"You choose which **part** of said victim dies." She stated. "This bat? [Death Magic] literally erased its wings, so therefore, the 'wings' themselves effectively 'died'."_

 _"... So that's what you meant by 'a human can only die once'." The boy spoke out in realization. "Those words apply to... to everything."_

 _"Careful my prince." She stated. "Even you're not immune to said rule, so choose wisely what you'll delete next."_

 _The boy then lets out an amused snort._

 _As he points his finger towards his own head._

 _"My prince?" She said worryingly. "DON-"_

 _A black ray of light burns through his head._

 _"MILOR-"_

 _"I'm fine." The boy spoke out. "I didn't remove my own head or anything of sort."_

 _"Then..." She hesitated to speak. "... Then what did you kill within yourself?"_

 _The boy's lips then crease into a deranged smile._

 _"The concept of 'hesitation'." He stated. "Now nothing will slow me down. No hunger, no thirst, no emotions, no personal attachments, no lapses of logic, and just one more for the road..."_

 _Another ray of black light shoots though his head._

 _"... Now I've removed the concept of 'mortality' within myself." He stated. "So how was that for my first lesson?"_

 _"... Progress, my Prince." Cleopatra stated, realizing that the boy has now mastered the rudimentary basics of [Death Magic] in a span of less than a day._

 _And not because of his innate genius._

 _But the fact that this boy **hated** the concept of life so much that the power to dictate such abstract concepts fit him like a glove._

 _"... I've awakened a monster." Cleopatra thought. "But that monster is what we Liliths need."_

 _"I heard that." The boy spoke out._

 _The Lilith yipes in surprise._

 _"By the way, I've removed the concept of 'boundary' from my head." He stated. "From now on, no one, not even you, will ever get in my way. From physical to psychological, everything shall be transparent, which by the way that includes your straps of cloth that you might call clothes."_

 _The Lilith just looks at him with bemusement._

 _"Like what you seeing?" She then flaunted her Lilith eroticism._

 _"Eh, not bothered by it." He stated much to Cleopatra's chagrin. "I just learned what 'libido' meant, and also learned that I've removed it already as part of my 'hesitation'."_

 _The boy then walks up towards her with newfound confidence._

 _Either that, or a complete lack of 'hesitation' that he claims to have 'killed'._

 _"So." The boy smirked. "Shall we get started?"_

 _And from there on, the newly-crowned Demonic Prince of Death's training has truly begun._

* * *

 ** _Year 1_**

* * *

 _"So_ _everything that is around is made of... 'atoms'?" The boy asked._

 _"Yes." Cleopatra answered. "Take that water in the lake for example..."_

 _The Lilith then heads towards the lake and scoops out a bit of water into her hands._

 _"This 'water' is composed of two elements." She stated. "Hydrogen, which is the most abundant chemical element around the whole word, and oxygen, which is literally the air we..."_

 _She then looks around to see that her cave barely had enough oxygen to support a human being._

 _And by that, a normal human would asphyxiate within a few minutes._

 _"... That we used to breathe." She corrected herself, hinting the fact that Demons in general don't need to breath air to survive. "Regardless, we're getting off topic."_

 _She then pours the water into a stone bowl._

 _"Now for your first practical, I want you to turn this water into oxygen by killing the hydrogen." Cleopatra stated._

 _"... What does hydrogen look like?" The boy asked._

 _"I dunno, what does your 'hesitation' look like?" She retorted._

 _"My whole life." He answered without hesitation._

 _"... Sorry for asking." She stated._

 _"Forget it." The bow replied. "Because I already did it."_

 _He then points the finger towards the bowl of water._

 _"You said it was a chemical element, right?" The boy spoke. "So as far as I'm concerned, I have a 50/50 chance of getting oxygen."_

 _"That's the first step of mastering [Death Magic]." Cleopatra stated. "Death is a powerful force, but it's the most disciplined out of the four [Forbidden], requiring proper handle and care lest the caster, aka, you, accidentally erase yourself from existence."_

 _The boy then aims his finger._

 _"First step of [Death Magic] mastery, know your enemies." Cleopatra stated. "To inflict death blindly is the most foolhardy and unfitting for a Prince such as yourself."_

 _The water doesn't separate into its two components._

 _Instead, the stone bowl containing the water turns into a grainy pile of granite, marble, travertine, limestone, and slate._

 _"... Wrong target, wrong concept, but right execution." Cleopatra stated. "But on the plus side, you seem to have gotten the basics down the pat."_

* * *

 ** _Year 2_**

* * *

 _"Do you know how living beings work?" Cleopatra asked._

 _"All I know is that we need to eat, sleep, drink, and breathe air to live." The boy answered. "And I'm assuming that you're going to ask that how it works in the first place?"_

 _"Why yes, I was just about to get to that." Cleopatra stated._

 _She then takes out a live bat and pins it down onto a smooth rock, right before she brings another rock down onto its squeaking head, killing it._

 _"Now my prince." Her thumbnail then extends out into a knife-like blade. "We're going to learn how this bat works... right before its head was splattered into red paste."_

 _The knife-like fingernail then cuts the bat's chest open, revealing a bramble of still-pulsating bags of flesh and bile._

 _"What are those? The boy asked while pointing towards the bat's corpse._

 _"This, my prince..." She then takes out a small ball of red and blue flesh spewing out drops of blood. "This is what is know as a 'heart'." She stated towards the flesh bud in her fingers, showing it closer to the boy. "This is where all the blood comes from and goes to."_

 _"... So what you're saying is that if I erase the heart, then the person won't have any blood in it, right?" The boy asked._

 _"Correct." Cleopatra confirmed as she heads toward the corner of the cave. "Which is why I brought something... special for today's lesson."_

 _She then throws a sack onto the stone floor, revealing a bound and gagged human._

 _The boy is then caught by the surprise, if he could._

 _"Now my prince..." Cleopatra then sets both of her hands onto the boy's shoulder. "I want you to erase his 'heart'."_

 _The boy then points his finger towards the struggling man._

 _"Now my prince..." She hissed out. "You know what spell to cast."_

 _The Hollow Diamond grimoire then floats towards the boy, glowing in a black and green light._

 _"[Death Magic]..."_

 _The tip of the boy's finger then begins to glow in the same color of his grimoire's light._

 _"... [Object Purge-Banisher]."_

 _The ray of darkness fires towards the man, piercing straight through his chest._

 _A few seconds later, the man's eyes roll to the back of his head as skin turns pallid._

 _The Lilith then slithers towards the motionless man right before she cuts him open with her thumbnail._

 _"Hmm." She then searches the cavity inside of him. "No heart. You did well, my prince."  
_

 _She then takes out a pair of sacs from his chest._

 _"Now my prince..." Cleopatra continued on with the boy's "lesson". "Shall we continue onto human anatomy?"_

* * *

 ** _Year 3_**

* * *

 _A full year after dissecting a human body, the boy has now memorized on how the human body works._

 _He should, for now the two Lilith's hideout are now littered with decomposing bodies and the stench of the permeating rot and decay._

 _Thankfully as the two living here are Demons, the change in scenery didn't bother them._

 _In fact, it was a welcome addition to their (admittedly) drab-looking base (for Cleopatra, at least; the nameless boy couldn't give two shits)._

 _"So my prince..." Cleopatra spoke out while clearing through one of the rotting corpses. "What is this and what does it do?"_

 _"That is a stomach." The boy answered. "It purpose is to store all the ingested food so that it can be digested to extract bodily energy."_

 _"And where does the rest of said food go?" She continues._

 _"The small intestine to the large intestine in that order." The boy answered once more._

 _"Very good!" The Lilith beamed. "Now we can move towards something more metaphysical!"_

 _"... Cleopatra." The boy asked the Lilith. "Two things."_

 _"I'm listening." She states while she begins to eat one of the corpses. "... What? They're not gonna get rid of themselves at this rate, you know."_

 _"First." The boy ignores the young-adult-looking tan woman with black snakeskin on her cheeks devouring a rotting human leg like if its the greatest thing in the world. "... Can I just call you Cleo? It's... kind of an inconvenience to say your full first name every time."_

 _She then gulps down the piece of carcass through her throat. "I didn't say that you couldn't, my prince. Please, feel free to do so."_

 _"Alright Cleo." The boy then continues onward with his words. "Second, what does 'metaphysical' mean, anyway?"_

 _"The term 'metaphysical' refers to abstract concepts that humans use to label things that they cannot see." She answered. "Such labels can refer to 'souls', 'consciousness', 'love', and anything that we cannot touch, but wish to disambiguate."_

 _"So tell me..." The boy asked the Lilith. "... Do Demons have souls?"_

 _The Lilith the looks at the boy with somber eyes._

 _"... We don't." She answered. "From the moment we are released into existence, we are born without them. And because of it, we are neither good or evil."_

 _The boy smirks at this revelation._

 _"Good to know, Cleo..."_

* * *

 ** _Year 4_**

* * *

 _"Now my prince." Cleopatra stated towards the boy. "We're now going more in-depth with the methodology of [Death Magic]."_

 _"What's there more to it?" The boy pointed out. "I just point and kill things, right?"_

 _"True..." Cleo stated. "But wording is important when it comes to [Death Magic]."_

 _She then heads towards one of the walls and begins scratching her claws onto walls._

 _"CLEO!" The boy cried out. "CAN YOU STOP WITH THAT PAINFUL NOISE!?"_

 _"Hmm?" The Lilith turned towards the boy. "But I thought you removed your 'hesitation' from your being."_

 _"I know!" He yelled out. "But loud noises... they still make me... really upset."_

 _The Lilith sighs as she then grabs a stick of powdery black._

 _"... I'll stick to charcoal."_

* * *

 ** _Year 5_**

* * *

 _"[Death Magic: Populace Wipeout-Genocide]."_

 _A swarm of bats heading towards the boy all explode into bloodstains._

 _"[Death Magic: Causality Wipeout-Correction]."_

 _The puddle of blood disappears, and in their place, the swarm of bats appear again._

 _"Splendid, my prince!" Cleo cheered out. "You've finally master the dual modes of [Death Magic]!"_

 _The boy looks at his Hollow Diamond grimoire, with each of its pages filled with words that are caked with a layer of coal-like stains._

 _According to Cleo, the stain is there to prevent the reader from reading the words of the grimoire, for even Demons cannot fathom what the enigmatic tongue has written on the pages._

 _If a human would read it, sanity will forsake him in a heartbeat._

 _As for the dual nature of [Death Magic], it turns out that this [Forbidden] magic has utility outside of simply killing and deleting things._

 _What he just did was that he just killed the swarm of bats, and after that, he "killed" their "death", effectively bringing them back to life, but at the same time, not._

 _To be rather specific, he only killed their "death", but in turn, everything else that was taken post-mortem, such as appetite, instinct, sentience, memories, and everything else in it, is no longer present post-revival._

 _In laymen's terms, the bats are now empty shells of former selves._

 _"Hmm..." The Lilith inspects the bats. "That attempt was a bit... much. But regardless, you did a good-"_

 _"No." The boy interrupted. "I still need more control over this power."_

 _The boy then walks back towards their lair to study more about the metaphysical concepts, so that he may have a firmer grip on them._

* * *

 ** _Year 6_**

* * *

 _Another swarm killed and brought back, and this time, the bats were able to fly._

 _... Albeit with the grace and precision of a drunk ant._

 _"... Trying again, my prince?" Cleo stated._

 _"A step closer to correcting the fabrications of a living being at will..." He muttered to himself as he reached out towards one of the dusty books to pick out and read._

 _He opens the book to find an image of a snarling, yet dignified red-faced man with an elegant black cap contrast to his unruly and savage-looking beard falling from his chin, and in his hands were a gavel and sheet of paper._

 _Before the red-faced man was a person tied down and kneeling fearfully before him._

 _"... Yama." The boy whispered out. "The great judge of Ten Great Hells of Penance..."_

 _A small smile creases the boy's lips._

* * *

 ** _Year 7_**

* * *

 _"[Death Magic: Spiritual Purge-Syphon]."_

 _Another ray of dark light fires through another kidnapped person._

 _"H-Huh?" The person moaned out. "W-What did you d-do to me?"_

 _The boy smirks._

 _"I erased your mana."_

 _"Y-You're joking, right?" The man sputtered out. "You're joking, right!?"_

 _The boy then releases the captive from his bindings._

 _"Now and use your magic to kill me, assuming if you have any."_

 _The man then tries to conduct a magic spell in his hands._

 _"... I'm assuming that the look of disbelief on your face suggests that you've figured it out, correct?"_

 _All the man can do was whimper._

 _"Well, thank you for volunteering." The boy then points his finger towards the bawling man. "Now goodbye."_

 _[Death Magic: Object Purge-Banisher] shoots through the man's head, erasing his physical body from existence._

 _"One more step closer..." The boy thought. "One more step closer towards mastering [Death Magic]..."_

 _Behind him, the man was still alive, albeit without a physical body._

 _Before the displaced soul can try and flee the depths, Cleopatra grabs the soul, and sucks it into her mouth, devouring it._

 _"My prince is growing stronger..." She mused. "King Apocrypha, the Hungry Joker... I shall finish your vision of this world's deserved revelation..."_

* * *

 ** _Year 8_**

* * *

 _The boy was almost getting the full grasp of his [Death Magic]._

 _Rocks were now becoming pumice-like rather then a pile of loose gravel, bats were no longer just empty shells upon revival, but now familiars that he can command, and for humans..._

 _... They were too delicate to even consider balancing out with his [Death Magic]._

 _With one factor gone, they begin to cease functioning properly._

 _Every part that made a human a "human" was so quintessential that removing so much as one piece of themselves, then suddenly they begin to gibber and sputter like rabies-infected mongrels._

 _"CLEO!" The boy roared out in ever-mounting frustration._

 _"Yes, my prince?" She answered._

 _"Tell me..." The boy asked. "... Just what makes these filthy mongrels called 'humans' so special, and by that, I MEAN WHY CAN'T I TURN THEM INTO MY PUPPETS!"_

 _"That my prince, is something that even we Demons cannot comprehend." She replied. "But that's_ _precisely it, my prince-"_

 _The boy's finger then points towards her head._

 _ **"Kindly exsssssssplain why, before I change my mind."** The's Lilith-side unearthed itself, forked tongue and black scales growing out of his cheeks._

 _"Humans... are a paradoxical existence." She started on. "When faced with a seemingly hopeless situation, they somehow find a way to push through."_

 _ **"Elaborate."** He hissed out._

 _"It's ironically simple, really." She stated. "You know the concept of logic?"_

 _ **"You mean like how there is a sssscertain order within the fabrications of the workings of thisssssss world?"** The boy Lilith hissed out. **"The very thing that I'm trying to take control of?"**_

 _The boy's hand punches a hole into the wall next to her cheek._

 _ **"Tell me ssssomething that I don't know."** He threatened._

 _"That is the thing, my prince." Cleo stated. "Humanity is errant to those rules."_

 _ **"... What."** The boy answered._

 _"Let me explain." The Lilith stated. "For since the dawn of their creation, humanity has proven itself to be rather... odd in terms of their behavior, habits, morality, and to put it simply, we Demons have spent countless millennia trying to find a pattern in their overall sociology... only to find nothing remotely consistent."_

 _"What do you mean?" The boy's snake-scales and eyes ceased._

 _"But if you think about it..." The Lilith went on. "... Their chaotic nature running against the natural order of the created world... Of course, it all makes sense in hindsight."_

 _ **"GET TO THE FUCKING POINT!"** The boy roared out while his scales grew __further_ _out from his arm and cheeks._

 _"Humanity is the opposite of order, my prince." She answered. "That's why taking one facet of their being will result in failure." Cleo went on. "We can control them, but by the time they're submitted, their humanity will make sure that their will exists."_

 _"So what you're saying is..." The boy replied. "Is that the problem with humanity, is humanity itself."_

 _He then goes to one of the corners in the cave to ponder._

 _"So if the idea of humanity is the pivotal problem..." He pondered. "Then can I erase the idea of humanity itself?"_

 _He then scratches his head as he dug through the countless texts scattered around him._

 _"Of course I can..." He thought. "But to what end?"_

* * *

 ** _Year 9_**

* * *

 _The boy wanders around the depths in contemplation._

 _"Okay, focus." The boy thought. "You can so far, do the following:"_

 _Kill things, such as "bodies", "souls", "thoughts" and even "death" to name a few._

 _"High output, but low return rate..." He thought._

 _Sure, [Death Magic] can reduce all living things to empty husks at the snap of his finger, but what after?_

 _Making people disappear won't be enough._

 _He needs long-term solutions to make sure that there isn't a single human left breathing._

 _"C'mon..." He gritted out. "Just what can be done-"_

 _His foot hits onto something, but due to his own self-mutilation on his senses of pain, he can only register the basic sense that his foot only made physical contact with something big._

 _He looks down, and sees a boulder._

 _With a scoff, he moves his feet away, brushing the dirt floor with his foot, revealing another peculiar-looking pattern._

 _Upon taking notice, the boy crouches down, dusts off the first covering the pattern, right before using his Demonic strength to dig out the pattern from the dirt._

 _... Revealing not a grimoire, but a massive book with numerous tags sticking out of the pages between._

 _The boy dusts off the cover, revealing the following:_

 _ **Project H.O.L.O.N.**_

 ** _Director:_** _ **Dr. Morris Metrodora**_

 _"What the hell..." The boy then takes the book back into Cleo's domain, sliding the rock behind to close the hole behind him._

 _"What is it that's in your hands, my prince?" Cleopatra asked._

 _"I dunno." He said while putting the book on the stone table near her. "Only one way to find out."_

 _The two Liliths then gets closer to the book and read the following._

 ** _Project Designation: H.O.L.O.N._** _ **(Humanoid Operative Legion of Objective-based Naturalists)**_

 _ **Objective: Find candidates fit to be modified in into high-performance war mages in order to rebuild the Diamond Kingdom's Royal Army at minimum manpower.**_

 _ **Method: Gather various children around the Diamond Kingdom, from the Capital all the way towards the villages in the Western**_ _ **Border, in order to measure their magical aptitude and mana reserves.**_

 _ **Hypothesis: With this, the Royal Army should be rebuilt back to full capacity in less then a decade after the research. The number of surviving candidates should be around 10 to 25, provided if the tests go smoothly.**_

 _"Wait..." The boy stated. "... I was in that project."_

 _"The very-" Cleopatra said before being cut off._

 _"The very said moment that I shed my mortal coil." He smiled._

 _The two then keep reading through the books._

 _Nothing special, just about day by day reports of the various subjects' behaviors and magic._

 _The two Demons kept flipping through the pages until they reached a particular page where there were a list of names._

 _... With almost all of them labeled **"FAILURE"** next to them._

 _The only exceptions were the names "Mars", "Lardos", and "Fana", who all had **"PASSED"** next to their names, and two others that he did not bother reading through. _

_"Ahh~" Cleopatra moaned out in ecstasy. "My fascination and disgust for these vermin continue to grow day by day~!_

 _Her scales and eyes then begin to make her revert back to her Demon form._

 _ **"The more they pursue their utmost desssssiressssss, the more they lose themssselvessss in the thrill of the hunt!"** She hissed out ecstatically. " **I both love and hate humanity, my prince! My preciousssss love comessss from their twisted and chaotic nature! My utmost hate comessss from how far they will forsake otherssss and themssselvesss in order to reach it!"**  
_

 _"And I didn't ask for your opinion." The boy snarked as he read ahead._

 ** _Subject #1: Mars_**

 ** _Codename:_** ** _Apollo_**

 _ **Affinities (Overall proficiency written within colons)**_ ** _: [Fire] (250%) & [Crystal] (300%)_**

 ** _Deployment: Approved (Overall output had greatly exceeded expectations; time to bring Royal Army back up to full capacity has been greatly reduced)_**

 _ **Subject #2: Lardos**_

 _ **Codename:**_ ** _Hecatoncheires_**

 ** _Affinities_** _ **: None, but perfectly compatible for my pet project, the [Centimanes Drive]**_

 _ **Deployment: On Hold (Update: Approved; [Centimanes Drive] has proven a success; subject also has the highest pool of mana out of all other subjects)**_

 ** _Subject #3: Fana_**

 ** _Codename:_** ** _Artemis_**

 _ **Affinities**_ ** _: [Fire] (92%) & [Crystal] (25%)_**

 _ **Deployment: Rejected (Overall output did not meet satisfactory requirements; subject's corpse will be appropriated for future testing)**_

 _ **Subject #4: Achilles**_

 _ **Codename:**_ ** _Hades_**

 ** _Affinities_** _ **: [Ruby] (200%)**_

 _ **Deployment: Approved (One of the more**_ ** _straightforward successes in testing; nothing special, just effective in simplicity)_**

 ** _Subject #5: Troy_**

 ** _Codename:_** ** _Hephaestus_**

 ** _Affinities: [Amber] (500%)_**

 ** _Deployment: Approved (Will be kept under supervision 24/7; subject's behavior has been proven difficult to deal with on a daily basis; subject shall be euthanized should it go out of control)_**

 _The boy then gets an idea bubbling in his own thoughts._

 _"My prince?" Cleopatra remarked. "... Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"_

 _"Just shut up and bring me more people." The boy stated. "This time, I'm going to make a long-term investment."_

 ** _Current Year, 6 Months Before Current Time_**

 _At last, it was complete._

 _2500 subjects, 1790 failures, and the rest being successful, but not suited for fieldwork, with an exception of few._

 _But even then, they're here to guard their home base._

 _"Cleo." The boy stated. "I think its time."_

 _The Lilith's eyebrows perk up. "Do you mean-!?_

 _The boy picks up his Hollow Diamond grimoire, emits his [Death Magic] from his hands, and erases the two heads from the two failures that were stumbling towards him._

 _"We move." He smiled._

 _"Happily, my prince!" The Lilith gleefully cried out, proud that her efforts for the past decade hasn't gone to waste._

 _The two shut the entrance of their cave with a large boulder as they slowly make their way towards the outside world._

 _"So, my prince..." Cleopatra asked. "How long do you think will it take for you to kill every last human living within this kingdom?"_

 _"Hmm..." The boy pondered as sunlight begun to rise from the horizon._

 _The boy then places his finger onto his head and shoots his [Death Magic] through it, erasing something that he didn't want in him._

 _"With the concept of 'limit' no longer within me?" The boy stated._

 _He then turns his head back towards Cleopatra with a toothy grin._

 ** _"Around a month."_**

 _The boy then suddenly disappears from sight, moving so fast that normal perception can no longer track him._

 _"Oh my..." Cleopatra moaned out as she then senses her prince clean out all nearby villages of their populace in a blink of an eye._

 _Right before she can step out into daylight, the boy reappears right in front of her, with a pile of corpses behind him._

 _"So?" The boy smiled. "Shall we?"_

 _"Well do take your time, my prince." Cleopatra stated. "This kingdom's not going anywhere anytime soon."_

 _"And not for much longer." The boy smirked. "Now that they have to deal with us."_

 _The two then throw their hoods over their heads to hide their Demon-like traits, and slowly approach the capital city on top of a hill._

 _As day passes into night, an entire village disappears from the map._

 _A week passes, and an entire providence is wiped off the map._

 _A month passes, and the two finally reach the fringes of the capital city of Sparta._

 _"Hmm." Cleopatra spoke out. "It appears that we've gathered quite an audience."_

 _"You think?" The boy replied. "Kind of excessive for a reception."_

 _Said "reception" was the entirety of the Diamond Kingdom's Royal Army standing in front of them._

 _"So Cleo..." The boy asked._

 _"Yessss, my prince?" The Lilith manifests her Demonic traits._

 _The boy throws off his hood, revealing his face to have topaz snake-eyes, black snake-scales crawling from his nape to cheeks, and canine teeth elongated to the point that they were sticking out of his lips._

 ** _"Let'sssssss kill them all."_**

 _The boy then slowly approaches the army, unfazed._

 _Upon seeing the Demon approach them, one of the front-line scouts spot the Demon approaching them, the rear echelon relays the command for the Royal Army the commence the offensive._

 _"FOR THE DIAMOND KINGDOM!" Their battle cries echoed throughout the arid earth._

 _"[Red Ochre Magic: Big Boar Rampage]!" A giant boar made of clay charges toward the boy._

 _"[Lightning Creation Magic: Thunderbird Calvary-Tempest Ballista Volley]." Several arrows of lightning rain down towards the boy._

 _"[Mucus Magic: Sludge Tide]!" A gooey wave rushes toward the boy._

 _"[Amber Binding Magic: Preserve Prison]!" A massive glob of honey-like tar hurls towards where the boy was at._

 _"[Ruby Creation Magic: Crimson Cutlass]." Several red crystalline crescent blades sprout out of the ground and speeds towards the Lilith._

 _"[Curare Curse Magic: Neurotoxin Death Breath]!" A gust of pale-green fumes head towards his way._

 _"[Crystal & Fire Compound Creation Magic: Trial #6B-_ _Stymphalian Bombs]." Spheres of crystal each encasing an orb of fire hurls towards his direction._

 _An inhumane amount of magical barrages was heading towards the boy._

 _... One problem._

 _The boy wasn't even remotely bothered, except for the fact that the glare was slightly annoying his eyes._

 _Unamused, the boy commences his counterattack._

 ** _"[Death Magic]..."_**

 _His right hand then begins to glow in a blackish-green light that his Hollow Diamond grimoire was emitting._

 _The boy then swipes his right hand over him._

 ** _"[Equilibrium Wipeout-Pandemonium]."_**

 _The barrage of magic heading towards him just stop in their tracks._

 _ **"For thosssse of you wandering."** The boy spoke out as he approached one of the front-line soldiers. **"What I jussssst killed-"**_

 _The mage punches him in the face, only for his fist to break against the freshly-christened Lilith's snakeskin._

 _ **"... Asssssssss I was rudely interrupted."** The boy continued on. **"... Actually, you know what, I think I'll let it sssssssshow for itssssssself."**_

 _The magical barrage that once were faced towards him..._

 _... Were now all pointed back towards their senders._

 _With a smirk, the boy then points his finger towards the shocked army._

 _Upon seeing **all** of their own magic returning towards them, the whole army then descend into disorderly panic.  
_

 _"D-DEFENSIVE MEASURES-!"_

 _The returned magic then bombards the hapless Royal Army, scattering them like rats on a sinking ship._

 _ **"Assssss I was sssssaying..."** The boy continued while the Royal Army's own magic was turning against them, killing them in a messy fashion. **"What I killed with my [Death Magic], were the ideassssssss of 'control' and 'balance' within it."**_

 _A severed head goes flying past his own._

 _ **"To put it ssssssssssimply..."** The boy continued over the sounds of detonating magic and screams of terror and agony._

 _He kicks aside a fat man's mangled body._

 _ **"I AM DEATH INCARNATE!"**  
_

 _Amidst the chaos, one of the mages then try to fire his spell onto the boy._

 _"F-F-[Fire Magic-!"_

 _The mage's throat is then ripped out of his gullet before his incantation can even finish._

 _The boy, with the ripped-out neck in his hands, eats it._

 _He then spots a bearded mage running away from the Lilith._

 _The boy runs_ _ahead of the man and necks lifts him off the ground._

 _ **"Jussssssst where do you think you're going?"** The boy asked._

 _"Running... away..." The man choked out. "I... don't fight battles... that I can't win."_

 _ **"You do know that insubordination is punissshable by death, right?"** The boy retorted. " **Not that it mattersssss, sssssince, well... you know that better then anyone around you-"**_

 _"HANG ON COMMANDER!" One of the mages from a distance cried out. "I'M COMING FOR YOU-!"_

 _The boy then shoots a ray of dark-green light, causing the mage to crumble into dust._

 _"Yeah... I know." He wheezed out from the boy's grip. "But if I don't... make it back... to my family..." He choked out. "... They'll never forgive me..."_

 _The Lilith then lets the man go._

 _"What...?" The man said._

 _ **"... Tell me your name."** The boy said while shooting another ray of [Death Magic] towards another mage trying to blindside him._

 _"Lotus Whomalt." The bearded man said. "And your name is?"_

 _The boy smiles with an evil feeling within him._

 _ **"Yama."** The boy answered. **"If you live, tell the whole world that the Judge of Death hassssssss come to deliver humanity its long-overdue sssssentence."**_

 _The man then runs away, taking a few like-minded men with him back to the capital._

 _"Now then..." The boy looks around the dust-choked fields outside the capital city. "Cleo."_

 _ **"Yessssss, Prince Yama?"** The Lilith bowed. _

_**"Do what you wissssh with the resssst."** Yama stated._

 _The Lilith then speeds off around the ruined earth._

 _"Now then..." The Prince then sits down on the arid fields as he reverted back his Lilith features. "I think I'll give them a message."_

 _The boy then shoots towards the air, erasing the concept of "Tranquility" in the air._

 _Yama takes a deep breath of air, right before he delivers his message towards the hapless populace before him._

* * *

 **Diamond Kingdom Capital Sparta, Diamond Kingdom (Morning)**

* * *

 **TO THE PEOPLE OF THE DIAMOND KINGDOM!**

 **I'VE COME TO DELIVER AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE** **TO YOU MONGRELS!**

 **AS YOU'VE ALL PROBABLY WITNESSED, I'VE ROUTED YOUR ENTIRE ROYAL ARMY IN A MATTER OF MINUTES!**

 **FIVE MINUTES!**

 **THAT IS ALL THE TIME I'LL GIVE YOU TO MAKE PEACE WITH YOU MISERABLE LIVES THAT YOU'VE ALL SPENT DOING NOTHING SIGNIFICANT!**

 **AFTER THOSE FIVE MINUTES, I'LL MAKE SURE THAT THE WHOLE WORLD WON'T EVEN REMEMBER THAT YOU'VE EVEN EXISTED!**

 **I'LL WIPE YOUR KINGDOM AND THE PEOPLE IN IT OFF THE FACE OF THIS EARTH!**

 **FOR THAT IS YOUR FATE!**

Upon the entire populace hearing that, the whole capital descends into _chaos_.

People run amok on the streets, looting, murdering, and doing whatever they can to spend the last of their last moments in their fleeting lives.

The king, old, wrinkled, and apathetic, looks over the entire city descending into chaos.

For the past _200 years_ , he'd ruled this kingdom behind the shadows of the Diamante Crown Family, with their recent heir leaving his responsibilities for "training", allowing this former-Grand Chancellor to rule directly as the ultimate authority of the whole Diamond Kingdom.

For the past _200 years_ , he'd made a deal with the Witch Queen in order to obtain longevity in order for him to rule the Diamond Kingdom after their previous kings would've failed to do so.

And now, after these 200 years of playing King, _someone_ dares to challenge his authority.

"YOUR MAJESTY!" The messenger cried out.

The so-called-king then turns around to hear this message.

"What is it?" He spoke out in a gravely tone.

"T-THE DEMON!" He winced out. "MY KING! HE'S ENTERED THE CITY AND STARTED TO KILL EVERYONE!"

The King remains unamused. "Have the rest of the guards set up a barricade around the Diamond Palace."

"Your majesty, regarding that..." The messenger trailed off. "All of our Royal Guards have been... neutralized by the Demon."

The King then opens his grimoire.

"That's all I'd needed to hear." He then points his hand towards the trembling messenger.

The messenger then makes a run for it.

"[Chaos Magic: Blacklight]."

A wave of black and white quickly crawls towards the runner.

"S-SOMEONE!" He yelled out in the halls in desperation. "H-HELP ME-"

A ray of blackish-green light shoots through the man's chest, causing him to rot into dirt in an _instant_.

Yama passes by the dead man, he continues to walk towards the [Blacklight].

"[Death Magic: Spiritual Purge-Syphon]."

A ray of dark-green shoots towards the monochrome wave, causing it to dissipate into nothingness upon contact.

"Impressive." The King then walks out into the hallways to meet the Demon. "Just how did you managed to stop my invincible [Chaos Magic]?"

"Light needs darkness in order for it to exist." Yama retorted. "Your [Chaos Magic] runs on a fragile balance that when disrupted with either too little or too much [Light Magic] or [Dark Magic], it will peter out."

"So you have the power to stand up to me..." The King grumbled. "... I will not allow that-"

 **"Shut up."**

The Demon fires his [Death Magic] through the King's chest, knocking him back.

Upon seeing himself alive, the King then lets out a wild cackle as he slowly stands back up.

"YOU FOOL!" He cried out. "YOU SHOULD'VE KILLED ME WHILE YOU STILL HAD THE CHANCE!"

The King then opens his checkerboard-pattered grimoire. "NOW PAY FOR YOUR SLIGHT AGAINST ME! BEHOLD MY GREATEST SPELL! CONSIDER YOURSELF HONORED TO MEET YOUR END IN MY HANDS!"

 **"[Chaos Magic:** **Ritual of** **Alpha & Omega-ENDER (Eternal Nihil Domain: Erebus Road)]!"**

... Nothing.

"Do you realize how dumb you look right now?" Yama pointed out towards the gawking King. "Oh and by the way, _your hand_."

The King then looks at his outstretched hand, crumbling into peach-colored dust from the tip of his fingers.

"Wha-WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME!?" The King cried out. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!?"

The Lilith smirks.

"I've erased the concept of 'mana' within your soul." Yama answered. "From now on, you'll _never_ use magic ever again."

The wizened King then begins to flail and scream as his body slowly crumbles into dust.

"Now talk." The Demon demanded. "Tell me everything you know, and maybe, I can erase your 'death'."

"I'M NOT THE REAL KING!" The former-Chancellor screeched out. "THE REAL KING HAS LEFT HIS THRONE A DECADE AGO!"

The Lilith raises an eyebrow upon hearing the statement. "Tell me more..."

"THE ENTIRETY OF PROJECT H.O.L.O.N.! IT WAS I WHO APPROVED IT!" He confessed tearfully. "I NEEDED TO RECOVER THIS KINGDOM'S LOSSES AFTER THE WAR WITH THE CLOVER KINGDOM!"

"And tell me." Yama continued. "Just how many kids do you think has died because of your approval?"

"I DON'T CARE!" He screamed out. "IN THIS KINGDOM, ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE! THE WEAK DIE!"

"Even the weak had a chance to become strong, if you've given them enough time." The boy retorted.

"THERE IS NO SUCH AS TIME IN THIS KINGDOM!" The fake King screeched out. "THIS WHOLE KINGDOM HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT AN ARID WASTELAND FOR THE PAST CENTURIES! I HAD TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! SO I SECRETLY MANIPULATED THE DIAMOND KINGDOM'S ROYAL FAMILY TO PURSUE THE RECOVERY OF THIS KINGDOM! I MADE A DEAL WITH THE WITCH QUEEN SO THAT I MAY LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO SEE THIS KINGDOM RISE FROM ITS SQUALOR AND BE THE SUPREME NATION THAT IT DESERVES TO BE!"

"Hmm, glad to know." The Lilith smiled. "Now I shall heal you."

"... Really!?"

Yama then points his finger towards the nearly-disintegrated King.

"With the sweet release of death."

The king's face turns pale from sheer horror of _betrayal_.

"[Death Magic: Legacy Purge-Deletion]."

A ray of dark-green shoots through the nameless faker of a king.

The disintegration turns into _vaporization_.

"From now on." Yama declared. " _No one_ will even remember your name."

The boy then walks into the King's chambers and out towards the balcony.

"Prince Yama." Cleopatra then shows up, covered in blood.

"Are there any alive down there?" He asked while pointing the empty city below the Lilith Prince.

"No, my Prince." She stated. "There are no one in this city besides us."

The boy then steps onto the ledge.

"It's still an eyesore." The Lilith Prince then opens his grimoire.

 **"[Death Magic: Environmental Wipeout-Cataclysm]."**

In an _instant_ , the Diamond Kingdom's capital, Sparta, and everything else around it, are now reduced to a flat patch of arid earth.

The Diamond Kingdom was now _dead_. And in the middle of this freshly-carved-out wasteland were no one but Yama and Cleopatra.

"My Prince-"

"Shh." Yama interrupted. "You hear that?"

"Hear... _what_ , Prince Yama?" Cleopatra asked.

For the first time in his life and afterlife, the-once nameless boy, now a Demonic Prince of Death, smiles, with _genuine joy_.

"Nothing."

* * *

 **(Back to Present Time)**

* * *

In the middle of the flat arid earth, a cloaked figure was standing there, waiting for someone.

"Took you long enough." Yama stated.

"Forgive me, Prince Yama." Cleopatra appeared while speaking out. "I had to deal with some rude people along the way."

"Regardless, I suppose you know why I've called you back?" He stated.

"Of course." She then digs her fingers into the cracked earth, uncovering a hatch.

The two go into the passage, closing the door and the earth behind them.

* * *

 **Interrogation** **Room, Magic Knight Headquarters, Noble Realm (Midnight)**

* * *

"Even I don't how we initially survived." Lotus confessed. "Deep down, I kinda thought it was too good to be true, and... and I..."

The man then begins to cry.

"... I just had to say it, and now my own men and a child died right underneath my nose." He sniffed out.

"He's not lying." Marx confirmed with his [Memory Magic]. "All of that was real."

"Hmm..." At the other side of the table was the current Wizard King, Julius Novachrono, personally interrogating the two ex-Diamond Kingdom operatives. "... This is quite _alarming_."

"I knew you told me all that back when I found you guys at the underground, but holy s-I mean, holy cow..." Fanzell remarked. "And for the record, do I hear _two_ Demons?"

All they can do is nod without uttering a word.

"So where is this... _Yama_ now?" Julius asked.

"Can't say." Lotus stated. "He just kinda spared me and told me to spread his name all over the world, right after sparing me for said reason."

The four in the confinement room remain silent, barely able to comprehend all of this.

"... I'd like you to look at this." Julius then takes out a medallion with a green gem encrusted onto it.

He then presses the gem in the middle, playing the recording that Yuno's [Mind Eye] had picked up.

A projection is emitted from the green gem, showing everything from Yuno's perspective.

"From this, I'm guessing that the boy knows a thing or two about them." Julius stated. "With that said, I'm going to have to ask you two for your cooperation."

"But my family!" Lotus cried out in a panicked tone. "I-I need to be there for them!"

Marx looked into his brain. "He's not lying. A wife and three kids."

"Very well, you two shall be on your way first thing _tomorrow_ morning." Julius stated. "Until then, I'm placing you two under heavy watch."

"We'll behave." Fanzell honestly assured.

"He's not lying." Marx confirmed.

"Can you stop peeping into my brain?" Fanzell asked Marx.

"Sorry." Marx stated. "Part of my job."

"I'm glad we agree on one thing." Julius stated jokingly at Marx's expense. "Let's hope that it _stays that way_ , kay?"

A chill runs down both of their spines as the Wizard King and his secretary walked out of the door and closes it behind them.

* * *

 **(Formerly) Eye of the Midnight Sun's Headquarters, Gravito Rock Zone, Forbidden Realm (Dawn)**

* * *

The sun slowly rises up over a pile of rocks and rubble, illuminating the ruined rock formation.

As the sun slowly lights the peak of the pile of rubble, a _hand_ sprouts out of it.

Out of the pile, _Rades Spirito_ rises from his grave, with nothing but _hate_ and _vengeance_ seared into his soul.

"Huh?" The revived [Soul Corpse Magic] user exclaimed. "How the hell am I still alive?"

Next to him, Sally and Valtos also rise from their own graves as well.

"YOU TWO AS WELL!?" Rades cried out.

"Whoa..." Sally dazed out. "So this is what it feels like to have more than _4 hours_ of sleep..."

Valtos looks around the ruined Gravito Rock Zone.

"It's..." The man bemoaned. "It's all gone..."

The [Spatial Magic] user then falls to his knees in tears.

"Lord Licht..." He heaved out. "We've failed...!"

"No, not yet."

The three then looks towards where the _mysterious voice_ came from.

Behind them, was a man in a tattered-version of the Eye of the Midnight Sun's standard-issue robes, a pair of glasses with a broken lens on the left, a well-grown stubble, messy dirty-blond hair, and his arms and legs wrapped in worn-out bandages, running all the way under his tatted pants without a top to complement it.

"Who..." Rades sputtered out. "... Just who the hell are you!?"

The man then stands back up with a wooden crutch set next to him.

"The name's Crowley Asher, the Unfortunate." The man stated. "And I'm a phantom member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun's Third Eye."

The three then look at this supposed Third Eye with utter silence.

"... Where's your 'Third Eye', then?" Valtos asked.

"Okay..." Crowley stated. "... I actually didn't receive mine. Hell, I just got recruited, like in what, a few months ago?"

"So why do you claim to be part of the Third Eye, then?" Valtos asked.

The mage then presents his grimoire.

A _four-leaf_ like Licht's, but also paper-thin _one-pager_ like Rades's.

"... Oh!" Sally realizes. "So that's why you're called the 'Unfortunate'! You're the opposite of the fourth leaf's virtue, 'Good Luck', and the fact that you're a four-leaf, but also a one-pager! It all makes too much sense!"

The bespectacled madwoman then cackles _uncontrollably_.

"Flattering." Crowley replied flatly while giving her the finger. "So to put it simply, I was the one who revived you all with my [Fate Magic]."

"WHAT!?" Rades screeched out. "F-[Fate Magic]!?"

"I rewrote your fate by simply making you awaken your secret powers, Rades." Crowley stated. "If you can bring the dead back, then you can easily do the _same_ to yourself and others."

The man then turns back with a shudder. "However, in turn, the karma just went negative. Any second now, something bad's going to happen-"

He is bitten by a snake, which he then drives it away with his crutch while downing a vial of clear-blue liquid.

"Don't worry." Crowley assured. "I can assure you, only my _right leg_ is _completely paralyzed_ form excessive trauma."

"NEVER MIND THAT!" Rades barked out. "JUST WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU WHILE THIS PLACE WAS BEING SENT TO HIGH HELL!?"

"... Would you like the list to be listed _alphabetically_ , or _chronologically_?" Crowley stated.

"Chronologically, if possible." Valtos stated.

"For starters..." The "Unfortunate" began.

"Oh boy..." Sally then sits down onto one of the flat stones. "We're in for a doozy..."

"Sally, when are you going to put your clothes back on?" Valtos asked while staring away from her.

"Later." She answered, not bothered by the prospects of her being _completely topless_.

"... I got drugged and kidnapped by bandits after I received my acceptance letter, tortured and raped by men and women alike, managed to escape after their whole base caved in from an earthquake, got lost within the Heart Kingdom's desert and almost died of dehydration, fell into a viper pit and got my whole right leg paralyzed, a friendly hermit thought me how to make a cure-all with random plants that anyone can find in their backyard, and to top it all off, I just I had to sell my shirt to get this crutch that I'm, which then leaves us here and now."

"And... how _long_ was _all_ that?" Valtos asked in a confused tone.

"Ever since I've received my acceptance letter." He stated bluntly.

The three of them just look at this haggard mage, with the realization of that the four of them are now the only ones left of the Eye of the Midnight Sun.

A necromancer with a serious ego problem, a mad magical scientist who's a little too happy to put someone under the knife, a fanatically loyal mage who served as the insurrection's most prevalent method of transportation, and a literal walking disaster area.

... What a team.

"So..." Sally spoke out. "What now?"

Three of the four then look at each other for answered.

"Hey Rades." Valto spoke to the necromancer.

"No, I am not going back to my parents's crypts!" He screeched out with raw hostility. "I REFUSE TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE ROTTING IN THAT DAMN HOLE!"

"I've abandoned everything ever since Lord Licht took me in under his wing..." Valto stated. "Around this time, my family thinks that I'm dead or completely removed from their memories..."

"And I lost my public housing along with my funding six years back, so no dice." Sally bluntly stated.

The three of them sigh out.

"We have nowhere else to go..." Valtos stated. "... Is this a sign?"

The other two then look at him with confused looks.

"... What the hell do you mean?" Rades spat out.

"Look, we're down to three people, adding up to four with that hot mess of a mage behind us."

Crowley the flips off the [Spatial Magic] user.

"To put it simply." Valtos continued. "We are no longer in a condition to carry out Lord Licht's ideals. We've lost our leader, we've lost everyone else but us, and in all honesty, do you honestly think that we're in any position to even fight against the Clover Kingdom?"

The other three then look at each other for answers.

"FUCK THAT!" Rades cried out. He then rushes towards the black-eyed mage and slugs his fist into his cheek.

"Whoa dude..." Sally said. "That came out of left field."

"LISTEN YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" The necromancer roared out. "I SPENT THE LAST SEVEN YEARS PERFECTING MY [Soul Corpse Magic], ALL FOR THE SAKE OF RIPPING THE CLOVER KINGDOM A NEW ONE! IF YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE SOME FEATHERED BASTARDS WASTED US, THEN BULLSHIT! I'M NOT STOPPING BECAUSE I DIED ONCE! I'M NOT AFRAID TO DIE TWICE IF IT MEANS TO DEFY THE CLOVER KINGDOM ONE LAST TIME!"

Rades then rushes towards one of the rubble piles, digs it up, and excavates Catherine's charred corpse.

"SO HELP ME GOD!" Rades ranted out. "IF YOU TWO ARE JUST GOING TO STAND THERE AND BITCH AROUND AND PLAY NANNY TO OVER THERE, GO AHEAD! I'M GOING TO USE THIS CHANCE TO PERMANENTLY SCAR THIS SHITHOLE OF A KINGDOM, IF IT'S THE LAST THING THAT I'M GONNA DO, YOU HEAR ME!?"

Sally then stifles a laughter before bursting out in tears.

"WHAT'S SO FUCKING FUNNY, HUH!?" Rades spat out.

"Sorry!" Sally huffed through her fit. "It's... It's just that..." She then takes off her glasses, wipes off a tear, and puts it back on. "It's just that, you're _right_."

Rades smiles.

"... You in?" The necromancer asked.

"Psh." She snorted. "Like you can do anything without me."

"Bite me." Rades flipped her off.

The [Spatial Magic] user then steps forth towards the two.

"What?" The two answered.

"I'm coming too." Valtos answered. "If my life's worth living for, then it's to see Lord Licht's ideals come to reality, even if it means risking my very life."

"Said ideals being burning this whole kingdom to the ground?" Sally asked.

"You're not far off." Valtos answered with a small grin on his face.

"Welcome aboard, asshole." Rades then slapped Valto's hand. "You better not slow us down, alright?"

"Right back at you." The black-eyed mage replied with a toothy grin.

"Alright, it's official." Crowley spoke out as he slowly stumbled back up. "I'm coming with you three."

"... You do realize that you're limp one leg and that you look about durable as shack in a middle of a hurricane, right?" Sally stated bluntly.

Crowley then takes out his grimoire. "Not for much longer."

The four-leaf's sole page opens up.

"[Fate Magic: Rewrite]."

The mage's right leg then begins to emit a bright light.

The Unfortunate's right leg is no longer numb and he ditches the crutch.

"There." He stated. "Now all I have to do, is to make sure that I have an antidote ready-"

Valtos shoots a black magical projectile towards Crowley's feet.

The viper by his ankles has its head blown off from its serpentine body.

"There." Valtos stated. "It's the least I can do after you, well... brought us back with your [Fate Magic]."

"You do realize that you just made it worse for yourself, right?" Crowley stated. "My _'karma debt'_ is contagious towards people that help me out of a bad ditch."

"Oh please." Valtos replied. "Luck and karma are only superstition-"

Valto's feet then knock over a loose rock within a pile, unwittingly excavating Licht's decapitated head.

Upon seeing his lord's head, Valtos falls into a major panic attack and begins to cry out in anguish.

"LORD LICHT!" He cried out. "I'VE FAILED YOU-!"

Rades slaps the mourning man's face.

"Crying won't bring him back." Rades stated in a solemn tone. "The only thing we can do, is to make do with what we've got."

"... Meaning-"

"Shut up and help me find the rest of his body." Rades stated. "And while at it, look for any relatively intact bodies that you can find."

"... YOU DARE DESECRATE-"

"LOOK PAL!" Rades yelled back. "THE DEAD HAVE NO VALUE! ALL WE CAN DO NOW IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CLOVER KINGDOM IS IN ASHES BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!" He continued to rant. "AND I DON'T CARE IF I BREAK A FEW EGGS TO GET MY REVENGE AGAINST THOSE MAGIC KNIGHT JAGOFFS!"

"He's right." Sally stated while wrapping her top with a loose article of clothing that she found buried. "If we're gonna go out with a bang, then might as well make the bang big as possible. And besides, don't think of it as desecration."

Sally then places her hands on his shoulders.

"Think of it as all of the Eye of the Midnight Sun fighting alongside with us, including us." She stated. "If we're all gonna hang, then we'll all hang together from the same noose."

Valtos then wipes his teary eyes with his arm.

"You're right." He stated. "It's the least we can do."

"Then shut up and start digging!" Rades cried out as he dug up Raia's headless body. "If other people see this crap, then we're fucked!"

The four remaining members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun then start digging up their fallen comrades's bodies from the rubble.

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** The Demons now have the access to the Death Note/[Death Magic].

All non-affiliated personnel evacuate all premises immediately.

As for the development of the Lilith's motifs, I was originally going for Egyptian Pantheon for naming conventions, but after beating F/GO's SE. RA. PH. event (All items bought, all reward stages cleared) with roughly 12 days to spare.

And after that little bout, I thought, "Fuck it. _Buddhism_."

Mara in SMT is a giant penis monster, so might as well go with the religious parallels and Fraulein symbolism for good measure.

Also, those two nameless (three if counting the rest of the shown Eight Shining Generals in their team spread manga panel shot), I gave them names and their own magic.

But they're all dead, so ha.

Hypothetical Voices (for funsies):

Yama: Ryo Hirohashi (JPN), Jennifer Greene (ENG)

Cleopatra Mara Bodhisattva: Rie Tanaka (JPN), Martha Harms (ENG)

Crowley Asher: Akira Ishida (JPN), Joel McDonald (ENG)

Also, my feelings regarding the canon manga so far (this is now a new thing, so give me time):

First Wizard King's and Nero's name being revealed...

... I just dug myself a really deep grave, didn't I?

On the plus side (two, to be specific), I now have much more to work with, and my fic is an AU, so I can chalk it up to "multiverse theory".

... Crap, another thing to write about is now in my bucket list for this fic.

Regardless, what do you guys think of this chapter?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd love to know what my audience is thinking!


	24. Saga 24: House of 1,000 Corpses Part 1

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 24: House of 1,000 Corpses Part 1**

* * *

 **Grimoire Tower?, Hage Village Outskirts?, Clover Kingdom? (?)**

* * *

 _"Hmm..."_

 _Yuno slowly opens his eyes and sees a familiar scenery._

 _"... Is this... Hage?"_

 _The youth slowly stands back up on the grassy plains._

 _"... Is that?"_

 _The blurry figure then runs away from him._

 _"W-Wait!"_

 _Yuno then chases after the figure._

 _The two then keep running beyond the boundaries of Hage Village, eventually reaching another familiar setting,_

 _"... The Grimoire Tower?"_

 _Yuno then slowly approaches the figure, and as he got closer, the figure's identity was revealed._

 _"... Asta?"_

 _The revealed Asta then grins at him._

 _"ASTA!"_

 _The youth then runs towards his bond-brother._

 _"ASTA!"_

 _Yuno hugged his brother._

 _"Hey Yuno..." Asta spoke out._

 _"God..." Yuno begged. "If this is a dream, then please..."_

 _Tears fell from the youth's eyes._

 _"... Don't wake me up."_

 _Asta then chuckles for a bit. "Don't worry Yuno."_

 _Yuno then opens his eyes, only to find Asta's arm stabbed through his chest._

 _The youth looks up to find Asta's eyes spilling out black and blood-red sludge from the hollow orifices._

 ** _"yOU'rE nOt GOiNg AnYWhERe..."_**

 _Then "Asta's" mouth gapes open, revealing the same, black-armored Demon that bursts out from his brother's mouth._

 _And around Yuno, numerous Astas, all bleeding from their eyes and mouths, pale as corpses, and wailing in pain, were all groping over Yuno's body, trying to drag him down to the earth that they all rose out of._

 _ **"This is all your fault."** One of the Astas heaved out into Yuno's ear._

 _ **"This is all your fault.**_ _ **This is all your fault.**_ _ **This is all your fault.**_ _ **This is all your fault.**_ _ **This is all your fault.**_ _ **This is all your fault.**_ _ **This is all your fault.**_ _ **This is all your fault.**_ _ **This is all your fault.**_ _ **This is all your fault.**_ _ **This is all your fault.**_ _ **This is all your fault.**_ _ **This is all your fault.**_ _ **This is all your fault.**_ _ **This is all your fault. This is all your fault...**_ _ **"**_

 _All Yuno can do as his mind, body, and soul were being dragged to the depths of Hell, was scream._

 _And for the rest of the way down towards oblivion, these were the last words that he heard before he drowned into the bottomless void below were the following:_

 ** _"Some brother you are."_**

 _All Yuno can do is continue screaming while drowning into the bottomless ocean of pitch-black void._

* * *

 **Magic Knight Headquarters, Hospital Wing, Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

"YUNO! YUNO!"

The youth was thrashing and screaming out of his own bed.

"CALM DOWN! YUNO!"

The youth calms down.

Yuno then looks around to see the following:

First, he was in a large room surrounded with other beds and windows sunlight shining through the glass sheets.

Second, he himself was on said bed, all bandaged up from the neck down and all the way down to... his _missing foot_.

The bandaged stump begins to ache along bandaged torso and his heart.

And finally, next to him was Finral, who's brow is covered in bandages and cotton dressing pads taped all over his cheeks.

"... Finral?" Yuno spoke towards the dandy. "Where the hell am I?"

"The Magic Knight Headquarters. More specifically, the medical wing." He said. "Yuno, you were out for a whole week."

"... A whole week?"

Yuno then scrambles out of the cot only to find himself falling towards the floor facefirst.

"I tried to warn you..." Finral sighed out.

Yuno ignores his words and begins to crawl across the floor.

He then grabs onto something, revealing Captain Yami's boot.

"Hey kid." The captain spoke while smoking a cigarette.

"Um, Captain Yami?" Finral stated. "You do know that the hospital is a no-smoking area, right?"

The Captain pauses for a second before snuffing out the smoke with the bottom of his boot.

"Right." The Captain stated. "Shouldn't you be somewhere else? I thought you were released three days ago."

"I'm under visitor status." Finral replied while showing his pass. "And besides..."

The dandy then hoists Yuno under his shoulder and lifts him back to the cot (albeit with some effort).

"... It's a senior's job to watch over the juniors." He replied.

Captain Yami sighs in exasperation. "Fine. Just don't refracture your skull-"

"YUNO!"

The doors burst open to reveal Jericho, who himself had both of his hands bandaged up like a mummy, and his face being equally mummy-wrapped to boot. All the while, several medical staff members were dangling all over his body, trying to stop him, only to make him go _faster_ , rather then slower.

"Sir!" One of the doctors cried out. "You still need rest-!"

"I CAN MOVE JUST FINE!" He roared back. "AND MORE IMPORTANTLY!"

He suddenly stops, picks off the staff clinging all over him, and sets them down gently, one by one.

"I don't wish to hurt anyone when I'm away from the battlefield." He replied in a gentlemanly tone. "And worry not of my injuries."

He then rips off the bandages around his face and hands, revealing to be perfectly intact, without so much as a _scar_ left behind.

"As you can see." He continued talking towards the gawking staff. "I've fully recovered on my _first day_ in my stay."

One of the doctors then adjusts his [Magical Eyeglasses: X-Ray] to see Jericho's skeleton.

"... My God." He gawked out. "Not even a fracture..."

"Should we release him, doctor?" One of the staff members asked.

"Someone get Dr. Owen." The doctor at the center spoke out. "He has the authority to sign the release papers..."

The staff then walks out of the doors, taking Jericho with them.

"... Well that just happened." Captain Yami remarked.

"Wait..." Yuno realized. "WHERE'S LUCK!?"

"... About that." Finral murmured out. "He's still alive... for _now_ , at least."

The youth goes pale from shock.

"Crazy bastard took a beating..." Captain Yami remarked grimly. "His entire skeleton had to be mended, had to get his left kidney and liver replaced, and worst of all, the docs said that he ain't gonna wake up for a long time, so they have to put him in on life support until further notice."

The Captain then sits down on one of the stools next to Yuno's cot.

"To make matters worse, Luck doesn't have any living relatives outside, so we can't afford to discharge him, and don't even get me started on what happened when the _others_ heard about what happened."

"Now that you mention it..." Finral stated. "... How did it go?"

"Okay, Finral." Captain Yami stated. "Maybe next time, don't spend your nights out _away_ from the base."

"Yes sir..." Finral glumly stated.

"So what happened?" Yuno asked.

"Vanessa threw out her whole stash of booze after 12 hours of hearing the news."

The two Black Bulls Knights are loss for words.

"Vanessa? Going _sober_?" Finral pointed out the complete-180. "Holy shit..."

"And that's _only_ mentioning Vanessa." The Captain continued. "Magna goes missing for _two days_ before returning caked with dirt and his own blood from head to toe, Charmy _starved herself_ for a _whole day_ , Gordon started crying everywhere, with me _finally_ hearing what he's saying, Grey is currently _nowhere_ to be found for the past week, and the only one that _hasn't_ changed was _Gauche_ , who's still stuck in his own little world where _only_ he and his baby sister exist."

"... I can't take it anymore." Finral then runs out of the room, barely holding on.

Yuno gazes towards the window in complete horror upon hearing the Black Bull's reaction to _his_ failure.

"Oh God..." He whimpered out.

Tears then fell onto the once-spotless sheets.

"I'm a failure..."

Next to him, Captain Yami sighs out in frustration as he stands up.

"Says the kid who declared to be the next _Wizard King_..."

Yuno then snaps out of it upon hearing those words.

On why he joined the Magic Knights in the first place.

"Look kid." Captain Yami continued. "I once had a kid like you join the Magic Knights twenty years at the same time around me." He stated. "He was a good kid. Strong, just, altruistic, knew how to hold his drink..."

The Captain then turns his head back towards Yuno.

"... What happened to him?" Yuno asked, only to realize that he's asking a stupid question.

"Your face says it all." The Captain replied. "Remember kid..."

He then walks away from his cot.

"... You and the others signed up for this crap, so think about that before you call it quits."

The sound of the doors closing echo throughout the room.

Yuno now rethinks about his whole plight.

"That's right." He mumbled out. "I knew this would happen..."

The real plight here was that he's now used to seeing death so _soon_.

"... No."

He then slaps his face with both of his hands as hard as he could.

"... I'm letting this stop me." He swallowed his own bile back down along with his guilt.

The doors open again, revealing Corrin, who's also bandaged up in the face and the gap between her prosthetic and severed upper arm.

"Yo." She spoke out. "How you holding up?"

"Just fine." He stated. "What about you?"

She then flexes her metal arm. "Better then _you_ , obviously."

"Bit of an ass as always..." He jabbed back.

"Dick." She replied with a grin. "Anywho, I better get going before _she_ show-"

"DARLING!"

From the _ceiling_ , a pink-haired pigtailed girl wearing the Blue Rose Knights robes drops onto Corrin, clinging to her like a squirrel to a nut.

"NOIRE!" Corrin screeched out. "WHAT THE HELL!?"

"I missed you so much~!" She squealed out. "To think, you were this hurt on your first mission!" She gasped out in horror. "How tragic! I must not let you leave from my sights!"

"Yeah, I've got my mom for that." Corrin snarked. "And besides, I just got released yesterday, and at this point, you going to REBREAK MY RIBS!"

Noire backs away upon her "darling's" demand.

"Forgive me..." She apologized. "... I got a _little_ ahead of myself."

"Like for the _843rd_ time..." Corrin muttered to herself.

"You're Noire?" Yuno spoke out. "I think Juniper mentioned you in her letters."

The pink-haired girl then glares at Yuno.

"Just who the hell do you think you are, hogging my darling like that!?" She _hissed_ out like a cat.

Corrin then chops down on top of Noire's head with her metal hand.

"Bad kitty." She chided.

"Yes ma'am..." She then walks out of the doors, crossing Juniper along the way.

"Yuno!" She then ran towards him.

"Hey." Yuno called out. "Lost a teammate and a foot, how are you doing?"

"Don't you 'hey' me, mister." She heaved out in frustration and concern. "Just... just..."

She then breaks down crying.

"... I'm so sorry!" She cried out.

"... You don't need to apologize for my failures." Yuno replied. "So Corrin-"

"They left the day after we were all admitted here."

"Oh." He emoted.

"Can I get context to all that?" Juniper asked.

"Sorry. Classified." Corrin stated.

Yuno nods in agreement.

"... What the hell happened there?" She spoke out while dashing back out the doors.

The two were now left alone.

"So I take it that-"

From the doors, a male Golden Dawn Magic Knight with messy jade hair and a cold glare appears and head towards Corrin.

"... Alecdora, I thought we were _both_ on a mutual restraining order." She stated.

"Slience, _failure_." He bit back as he pushed out of her way and towards Yuno. "... So a four-leaf returns from the dungeon missing a foot and a fellow failure."

Yuno flies into rage and flings himself towards Alecdora.

"Fool."

Yuno is then _neck-lifted_ by a hand made of sand.

"How could a failure like you hope to even stand against me-"

Corrin then kicks his balls, toe-first, from _behind_.

The hand dissipates as both Yuno falls back to his cot and Alecdora is rendered immobile.

"Sorry about that." Corrin stated. "He's an asshole."

"I can see that." Yuno deadpanned.

"Well then..."

Her metal hand then grabs the gargling Magic Knight by his ankle, and drags him across the floor as she leaves to the doors.

"... See you at the Decoration Ceremony." Corrin stated. "Don't worry, one of the staff members are going to give a temporary release for the ceremony to receive your promotion."

The doors then shut.

Yuno then lays back down onto his cot, staring at the ceiling with reinvigorated resolve seared into his eyes.

"I'm not going to back down." He declared. "I won't stop."

Both of his hands tighten into fists.

"I won't let their deaths be in vain..."

He then shoots his right fist towards the ceiling.

"I WILL BECOME THE NEXT WIZARD KING!" He roared out.

The doors open again, revealing a staff member rolling in a wheelchair.

"Mr. Yuno?" The staffwoman spoke out.

"Here." He raised his hand.

The staff then walks towards him. Yuno then gets up from his cot, stumbles off of it, and climbs up towards the wheelchair.

The staff then walks down the hallway, guiding him towards this ceremony.

"Oh before I forget."

She then hands him his new Black Bulls robe, his grimoire, his [Mind's Eye] medallion, and the ragged headband of his late brother's.

"... Thanks." He stated while putting his robes and medallion back on over his bandaged torso and tying the headband around his wrist.

From the grimoire, the Sylph appears before him, perching on top of his head.

"Hey kiddo..." She spoke out in a glum tone. "... I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough to stop the Demon."

"Then that means we'll have to get stronger." He replied with gusto. "First thing that my wounds and bones heal up? We train."

The [Wind Spirit] then wipes the tears from her eyes. "Right!"

The wheelchair then stops right in front of a double door.

"So tell me..." The staffwoman asked.

The staffwoman then opens the doors as she herself _transforms_ into a man in a regal-looking garbs, short reddish-brown hair, and a light-purple asterisk over his left brow.

And beyond the doors, all the Magic Knight Captains and several Magic Knights from other squads were standing in this great hall.

The man then walks towards the raised platform at the very center-end of the room as Yuno followed while on his wheelchair.

"Are you..." Yuno asked. "The Wizard King?"

The man smiles at him.

" _Julius Novachrono_ , at your service!" He gleefully announced. "So tell me, young one."

He then spreads his arms across the various Magic Knight Squads gathered in these halls.

"Can you keep up with them?" He asked in a serious tone.

Yuno hardens his eyes as he called upon his resolve.

"YES!" He roared out. "I WILL NOT LET MY FAILURES STOP ME FROM BECOMING THE WIZARD KING!"

Julius smiles.

 _"Yami's got an eye for talent."_ Julius thought as he took stage.

"Now, for those of you all gathered here..." He started. "I thank you for coming to this ceremony to recognize our youth's promotions, but before we start, I'd like to mention that we've lost three of our fellow Knights during the Dungeon Exploration. Henceforth, to honor their memories, I'd like to posthumously promote them by five ranks."

 **[Noelle Silva]: Promoted to Intermediate Magic Knight, 5th Class**

 **[Mimosa Vermilion]: Promoted to Intermediate Magic Knight, 5th Class**

 **[Klaus Lunettes]: Promoted to Senior Magic Knight, 4th Class**

"I thank them for their services, and as a Wizard King, it was an honor to be along side you." The Wizard King stated in a _solemn_ tone.

Yuno can hear a few chortles of _stifled laughter_ coming from the Silver Eagles.

His hands tighten on the armrests, almost _breaking_ the wooden surface.

"Damn bastards..." He whispered out.

"Now then..." The Wizard King composed himself. "We shall begin our Decoration Ceremony."

The gathered Knight then order up in rank and file formations, with Yuno heading towards where Jericho's navy-colored mullet was seen at.

"Hey." Jericho spoke to Yuno. "... Hanging in there?"

"Almost over it." Yuno replied firmly.

"... I understand." He replied back. "Who's that on your head?"

Sylph gives Jericho a raspberry while sticking down her lower eyelid.

"Real mature." Yuno addressed towards the Sylph.

"Now first..." Julius stated. "The Crimson Lion Kings."

The Magic Knight Squad clad in red robes approach the Wizard King.

"With seven stars earned, Leopold Vermilion of the Crimson Lion Kings, I hereby promote you to Intermediate Magic Knight, 2nd Class." The Wizard King then hands him a medal signifying his promotion. "Your [Fire Magic] is unrivaled among your peers, and you do your family's name proud with your valor and courage in your duties. Just be sure to not burn yourself out too quickly, understood?"

"There's no rest for the wicked, Wizard King." Leopold responded. "So neither shall I." The promoted Crimson Lion then walks back to his squad.

"Vermilion brat is still hot-blooded as ever..." Yami commented. "... Not that's a bad thing, just a little _overrated_."

"Next are the Blue Rose Knights."

Three Magic Knights clad in bright blue head up to the stage.

Oddly enough, the sole male Magic Knight and a dark-skinned female Magic Knight were handcuffed to each other in bindings that are made of thorns, as shown by the numerous cuts and scrapes around their wrists.

"With repelling brigand mages from a caravan group that you were assigned to protect, and that and uncovering a human trafficking ring at the same time, earning both of you three stars, Juniper Hage and Cole Evans of the Blue Rose Knights, I hereby promote you to Junior Magic Knight, 2nd Class and Intermediate Magic Knight, 5th Class respectively."

"Hey, hold on!" Sol voiced out. "What about _me_!?"

"About that..." Julius replied in an apologetic tone. "Your promotion has been retracted due to your rather... _unacceptable_ behavior around your peers."

"What's wrong with me pushing around filthy men like him!?" She pointed toward Cole.

" _Exactly_ what it sounds like." Cole deadpanned.

Before the two can even start _anything_ towards each other, Juniper casts [Cultivation-Bayleaf], and stifles both of their noses with said leaves, calming them down in an instant, causing the two of them to fall asleep.

"Forgive my peers, Wizard King." Juniper stated. "They've been like that for the past week."

"For their own good, I just hope that they can make up." Julius replied.

The auburn-haired Blue Rose then drags the two sedated troublemakers back to her group.

Yami was trying _not_ to burst out laughing, and Charlotte was covering her face in embarrassment.

"Next are the Silver Eagles."

The Magic Knights in silver appear before the Wizard King.

"With six stars earned, Solid Silva of the Silver Eagles, I hereby promote you to Intermediate Magic Knight, 3rd Class. Your [Water Magic]'s flexibility never ceases to amaze me. Just be sure to apply that flexibility when it comes to your cooperative skills, alright?"

"I'll keep that in mind, sir." He responded with a _slight_ smirk.

"With nine stars earned, Nebra Silva of the Silver Eagles, I hereby promote you to Senior Magic Knight, 5th Class. Your [Mist Magic] is quite intricate and elegant in terms of skill and execution. Just make sure that you don't get too caught up in your own display, got it?"

"I'll do my best to heed those words, Wizard King." Nebra responded with a smirk streaking across her lips.

 _"... Why are the Silver Eagles full of inbred pricks?"_ Yami mused. _"Nozel's bad enough, but these two make him look cordial in comparison."_

"Next up are the Golden Dawn."

The Magic Knights clad in gold approach the Wizard King.

"With seven stars earned, Hamon Caseus of the Golden Dawn, I hereby promote you to Intermediate Magic Knight, 2nd Class. Your [Glass Magic] is truly one of the kind, and your skill with it, will take you far. Keep up the good work."

"I thank you for your kind words." Hamon chuckled out _cordially_.

"With eight stars earned, Shiren Tium of the Golden Dawn, I hereby promote you to Intermediate Magic Knight, 1st Class. Your will and professionalism are sturdy as your [Stone Magic], but it would be wise to vocalize your thoughts more. Food for thought."

"I will take that into consideration." Shiren stated in a professional tone.

"With three stars earned and recovering an ancient magical artifact, which, unfortunately, is now a permanent part of your body, my condolences. _Ahem_ , Corrin Index, I hereby promote you to Junior Magic Knight, 2nd Class. Your [Magnet Magic] is truly one of the kind, although your personality is far from, well, _magnetic_."

"Haven't heard of that one before." Corrin sarcastically replied.

"Oh, by the way, what happened to Alecdora?" Julius pointed towards the downed Golden Dawn Knight hung my Corrin's metal hand.

"He attacked wheely back over there and violated my retraining order put against him." She answered, being _metaphorically true_. "Had to stop him myself before the whole mess got even uglier."

From the Golden Dawn group, the Captain, William Vangence, nods in _agreement_.

"Very well." The Wizard King sighed out. "Much to my regret, I hereby _decline_ Alecdora Sandler's promotion to Senior Magic Knight, 2nd Class."

Julius then uses his [Time Magic] to rust his promotion medal to a pile of grainy dust.

"Geez, and they say that my squad are a bunch of misfits..." Yami commented. "Then again, it's _William_ we're talking about."

"For once, we agree, foreigner." Nozel replied, much to his chagrin.

"Next up, the Green Mantises."

The Magic Knights clad in green head towards the Wizard King.

"With two stars earned, and assisting the elderly in volunteer work, Sekke Bronzazza, I hereby promote you to Junior Magic Knight, 4th Class. Your [Bronze Magic] is simple, yet effective, but your lack of heart and guts seems to be holding you back somehow. Just buckle up on your stay here, kay?"

The Magic Knight with slicked-back dirty-blond hair practically _fainted_ on his feet. Julius just simply places the medal on top of his frozen head.

"With four stars earned, En Ringard, I hereby promote you to Intermediate Magic Knight, 3rd Class. Your [Fungus Magic] is not to be trifled with with. Just make sure that you don't end up in an early grave, okay? You honestly look like you're gonna topple over any second."

"I'll be fine, sir..." En responded in a weak and hoarse voice.

"I'M STRONGER THEN I LOOK, SIR!" A talking mushroom bursts out from En's left shoulder loudly declares. "I CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE RIGHT NOW, SO I'LL DO MY DARN BESTEST!"

Yami then hears Jack cackling from the back.

 _"... Huh, just realized that this whole place is full of weirdos."_ The Captain shrugged. _"Guess my squad ain't the only one that are full of oddballs."_

"Next are the Black Bulls."

"... You want me to help you up there?" Jericho asked Yuno.

"I'll be fine on my own."

Yuno then rolls his own wheelchair towards the Wizard King, with Jericho and Finral behind him.

Yuno looks behind him, not counting his fellow Black Bulls and Corrin, everyone else were glaring at the chairbound youth with glares with varying degrees of spite and disdain.

 _"Way to go, asshole..."_ Yuno thought. _"Of course this happens when three Nobles were KIA and a no-name peasant is the only one left alive..."_

"Hang in there, Yuno." Jericho spoke out.

"With earning five stars total and securing the [Wind Spirit: Sylph]..."

The fairy-like being then appears from Yuno's grimoire and perches on top of his head, much to the awe of the audience.

 _"Congrats kid..."_ Yami thought. _"... Guess you really aren't just all talk after all."_

"... Finral Roulacase, Jericho Platinia, and Yuno, I hereby promote all of you to Junior Magic Knights, 1st Class."

The Wizard King then hands the three of them their promotion medals.

"Finral, after all these years, you finally pulled through with your [Spatial Magic], and all I can say, better late then never. Jericho, your [Platinum Magic] along with your undying will carried the whole dungeon exploration team, on which I can't be more proud of. And as for you, Yuno..."

The Wizard King then approaches closer to the four-leaf.

"... I'm glad that you're stronger then this." He smiled. "Keep up with your peers before you reach out for me, alright?"

"... YES SIR!"

Yuno, Jericho, and Finral do the Magic Knight's salute.

"The Golden Dawn are currently at lead with 79 stars, and the Black Bulls has finally picked up their slack after many years of unsatisfactory performance." Julius stated. "I suggest everyone to keep up the good work, and there's a reception set down below, so you all can go and enjoy yourselves." The Wizard King stated. "Now if you excuse me, I must attend to more pressing matters. Yuno, Corrin, Finral, and Jericho, I need the four of you to come to my study."

The groups within the room then disperse out of the room, leaving no one but the following four and Yami.

"... By the way, where are the other Black Bulls?" Yuno asked the Captain. "I haven't see them around in the Decoration Ceremony."

"They're all out on missions after their meltdowns." Yami responds. "Well, everyone but Gauche, but his mission starts next week, so until then, he's spilling his own blood on the base floor."

"I recommend daily transfusions, Captain, lest he dies from bloodloss." Jericho pointed out.

"Well, it's gonna come out of his own pocket, so you tell him." Captain Yami then walks past Yuno and Jericho. "By the way, don't you two have places to be?"

The two then head out the doors.

"If you're gonna look for me, I'll be at the shitter." Captain Yami remarked.

The Decoration room goes empty as the four survivors all head toward Julius's study.

"Took you long enough." Corrin remarked.

"By the way, where did... _Alecdora_ go?" Jericho asked.

"Dumped _'smart-Alac'_ to Tium." She smiled smugly. "... What? He's the only one in the whole damn squad aside from the Captain that can _tolerate_ him."

"Yeah, I'm not gonna get involved with that guy..." Finral remarked. "Or the Golden Dawn in general..."

"Oi, _I'm_ over here, jagoff." Corrin flipped the bird to the dandy. "Oh, and you baby brother's the biggest asshole of the whole damn squad."

"How did you know?" Finral asked. "And how so?"

"Facial recognition and the fact that he wouldn't shut up about you how much of a pathetic-yeah, I'm _not_ playing parrot." Corrin spat out.

"So he hasn't changed a bit..." Finral bit out in a disappointed tone.

"... Except for his friendly-fire count." Corrin remarked. "... Your ex-parents are either insanely-influential, or they got the whole institution in their damn pocket. And that was all what I've _seen_ of that guy during my first few weeks here."

"... Sorry you had to see all that." Finral apologized.

"It ain't your fault, buddy." Corrin replied. "Blame your damn family. It's their fault that they're screwed up in the head."

A projection of Marx, the Wizard King's secretary, appears right in the middle of the group.

[If you're all done socializing, then I may inform you all that you've been allowed in since _five minutes ago_!?]

"... Holy shit. Really?" Corrin voiced out.

"Just shut up and let me open the door." Yuno then wheels himself to the doors and opens them.

He then tries to roll over the door bump, but due to his injured torso, he cannot muster enough physical strength to do so, lest he wants to reopen _all_ of his chest wounds.

Jericho sighs as he tips Yuno's wheelchair over the bump.

"Can't be a Wizard King if you die along the way there." Jericho stated.

All Yuno can do is to let out a grumble.

The four of them enter the Wizard King's study and stand before the man himself in his desk.

He then stands up and leans over to Marx, whispering something into his ear.

Upon acknowledgement, the secretary walks out the study doors, closing it behind him.

"Now then..." Julius then pauses before he continues speaking. He then walks to the windows, looks for something outside of it, and shuts the blinds.

Then Marx's face projects right in front of the Wizard King.

[We're in the clear sir.] The projection stated. [Feel free to start.]

"Got it. Continue to keep watch and make sure _no one_ hears of this." The Wizard King then goes to his drawer in his desk and takes out a [Mana Lamp].

He then places his hand on top of it, and the lamp begins to brighten.

"... Okay, now we can start." The Wizard King then sits back down on his desk.

"So, what are we here for, Wizard King?" Finral asked.

"... Before I answer that, I must warn you four." Julius stated. "What I am about to tell you are _national-level_ secrets. If you think you can't handle it, then I'll give you the next _minute_ to let you decide whether you want to leave or stay. Leave, and Marx will erase of your memories relating to the secret that I'm about to bestow upon you all. Stay, and this whole thing, I _pray_ that you all take it all the way to your _graves_."

The four then look at each other in doubt.

"There's no shame in leaving." Julius pointed out. "None of us will hold it against you."

Ten seconds.

Yuno is the only one that is disinterested in leaving.

Twenty seconds.

Jericho had already resolved himself to pursue the truth, consequences be damned.

Thirty seconds.

Corrin already knew that she was knee-deep in this crap, and as much as she wants to leave, deep down, she knows that she can't.

Forty seconds.

Finral's then begin to shake.

Fifty seconds.

He wants to leave.

5.

He _reallty_ wants to leave.

4.

But this time, he can't feel fear.

3.

He feels responsible.

2.

He knows hat he was dragged into this mess in the first place.

1.

... But it would be rather uncool for him if he just left everyone hanging dry.

"... So be it."

A dome of magic surrounds the five.

"[Time Creation Magic: Monadikótita]." Julius declared as he set the magic dome. "Now time outside will resume where we left off, with time here being relative."

"... So, time outside is essentially _frozen_ , except for this whole space _within_ this bubble." Corrin stated.

"Seems to be the case." Jericho confirmed by sticking out his notebook through the bubble's veil, freezing in place, _midair_.

"Alright, enough of the magic fair." Julius cut in. "Let's talk shop."

The Wizard King then faces towards Yuno.

"Yuno, is it okay for you to share... _that_?" Julius pointed toward Yuno's [Mind's Eye].

The youth nods in agreement as he takes off his medallion.

"Before we start, I'd like to apologize for looking through your things while you were unconscious, but we were short on time, so compromises had to be made."

Yuno shakes his head.

"No, you had the right to know after, well... _everything_." Yuno sheepishly stated.

"... Hmm, glad that we can get cross that bridge quickly." Julius then cleared his throat before getting to the point. "Speaking of which, you mind showing us what's in there?"

Yuno then clicks the green gem on the medallion, projecting the whole dungeon exploration from _Yuno's_ perspective.

"You had that hidden with you this whole time?" Corrin remarked.

"So much for a good luck charm..." Finral stated off-side.

"Sorry for keeping this hidden from you all." Yuno apologized. "I... I couldn't tell you my plans until now."

"To be fair, we all assumed that this mission was going to be a normal one, so we were already in for a surprise to begin with." Jericho commented.

"And that's why I'm keeping this confidential, even from the Clover Kingdom's King himself." Julius stated.

"Because if he knew, then he would've either called you crazy, or use that information to come up with a scheme that would inflate his already-overbloated ego." Both Corrin and Jericho stated at the _same time_ , word for word, _without_ missing a beat.

"... Actually, you two are not that far off." The Wizard King remarked.

"Believe me, did you know that attending his so-called 'gatherings' kinda made me despise court life in general?" Corrin stated. "Now you all know why I'm such an ass around everyone, _especially_ to the people in my social class."

"And I for one, along with the rest of my family, am greatly ashamed to be _directly related_ to that idiotic manchild of a King." Jericho coldly bit out.

"By the way, your parents and your adopted brother Taro are doing well." Julius stated. "Just to get that out of the way."

Jericho sighs in relief.

"Anywho, the fact of the matter is that Demons, are indeed real, and from what is shown here, they're just as bad as the one from long ago."

"... You mean the same Demon King itself from 500 years ago!?" Corrin cried out. " _We_ , out of all people fought, lost, and _spared_ out of _pity_ was the _same_ schmuck!?"

"... Not exactly." The Wizard King then pulls out a small, dark-blue gemstone from his pocket.

The gem then projects an image of a battlefield, full of panicking soldiers from the Diamond Kingdom running about, as if they were running away from _something_.

"Roughly six months ago, the entirety of the Diamond Kingdom's Royal Army were completely routed by _one_ person."

The Wizard King then pauses the projection on the part where the person's perspective was being lifted up from the neck by a pale-skinned, white-haired boy with black lizard scales running from his neck base to the fringes of his cheekbones, a pair of snake-like topaz eyes, a pair of pointed canine teeth sticking our from his cracked lips, and a ragged cloak to give him a rather somber and fallen look to the mysterious boy.

"This is what Marx recorded from Lotus's memories." Julius stated. "And the boy you see here is **Yama, the Judge of Death** , and above all else, a _Demon_."

The four hearing all this freeze in horror.

"... Oh _fucking_ brilliant, there _two_ of them." Finral wets his pants.

"Wait." Corrin stated. "If he was the one who completely routed an entire Kingdom's worth of military prowess, then why didn't the Clover Kingdom, or hell, any other Kingdoms knew about this crap!?"

"Two words." Jericho stated. " _Closed_ borders."

"... Goddammit." Corrin mumbled. "Information congestion _finally_ bites our Kingdom in the ass."

"Made even worse on how Yama executed it all." Julius then replays the image.

The projection shows all of the Diamond Kingdom's Royal Army's magical bombardments being redirected back towards their lines, and during the ensuing chaos, random soldiers then began to crumble into dust upon being hit by the Demon's ray of blackish-green light, right before he puts Lotus (the one in 1st-person) in a neck lift.

"... Holy shit." Finral spoke out. "Just how powerful are these Demons?"

"Too powerful, I'm afraid." Julius then fast-forwards the image for a few frames before resuming.

The four then see Lotus and what is presumed to be his family running out of an underground hatch as the Diamond Kingdom Capital behind them is then reduced to a flat in an instant flash of blackish-green light.

 _"Daddy, what happened to our home?"_ A little girl's voice asked out.

 _"... Just keep running, Daisy."_ Lotus stated.

 _"But what about the rest of the-"_

 _"I SAID KEEP RUNNING!"_ Lotus yelled out tearfully. _"... The Diamond Kingdom. Our home..."_

Sounds of sniffling was heard from Lotus as reality began to dawn upon his children.

 _"... It's dead."_

The projection ceases.

Corrin was on her knees from seeing the sheer might of Yama's powers, Finral was cowering at the visage, and even _Jericho_ was trembling on his feet.

Yuno?

... The fire of hate and vengeance begins to burn brighter and hotter.

"They're going to _fucking_ pay..." Yuno murmured out.

 ** _"They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay. They're going to fucking pay..."_**

"... I'll give you another minute for the four of you to choose whether you wish to get out." Julius stated.

Yuno stays.

Jericho adopts an expression of doubt, but chooses to stay, knowing the risks involved.

 _"This isn't just about the Clover Kingdom's reputation anymore..."_ He thought. _"At this rate, there will be nothing left of this world if the Demons run amok."_

Finral, despite all of his self telling him to get out while he still can, refuses.

 _"Goddammit!"_ Finral cursed. _"You're supposed to be the senior here! If I just up and left my fellow Junior Knights to hang dry on their own, then it would really look uncool!"_

The dandy swallows his fear in place of his pride, for this once-unremarkable Magic Knight has now the opportunity to better himself as a person and as a Magic Knight through this crisis.

 _Reluctantly_ , Finral stays.

Out of all people, Corrin was the most shaken by this revelation.

For one, she was apathetic to this whole mess. She was on her first mission as a Magic Knight, only for it to go horribly wrong, and now she's dragged into this mess.

Just like how she was dragged into the Golden Dawn Magic Knights, all because of her family's reputation as talented mages.

Now? This was her way out. Not only out of Golden Dawn, but away from her noble title and obligations.

But then she then looks at her metal arm on her right stump.

"Do I even have a choice anymore?" She breathed out bitterly. "First the Golden Dawn, then the fucking mission going South, and now this bullshit..."

"You can leave if you want to." Julius stated. "No one's judging you-"

"BULLSHIT!" She cried out. "YOU'RE ALL THINKING THAT CRAP, AREN'T YOU!?"

The other three then look at Corrin, who's unflappable and delinquent-like facade has now been _shattered_ , revealing a touchy, emotionally volatile, and traumatized girl.

"IT'S ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THIS!" She yelled out. "ALL BECAUSE I'M A NOBLE, I HAD TO LIVE UP TO THE OTHER'S EXPECTATIONS BECAUSE OF FAMILY MATTERS, AND MY ENLISTMENT TO THE GOLDEN DAWN WASN'T EVEN MY CHOICE! HELL! I DIDN'T WANT TO BE A MAGIC KNIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE! ESPECIALLY IF IT MEANS THAT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH MORE CRAP LIKE THAT!"

Yuno was shocked at her declaration against her position as a Magic Knight.

"Then tell me Corrin." Julius asked the chestnut-haired girl. "Just what are your other aspirations?"

"I WANTED TO BE A TOPOGRAPHER!" She yelled out. "BUT HERE I AM! I SAW THREE PEOPLE GET SLAUGHTERED RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, I LOST AN ARM, AND NOW I'M ROPED INTO SOME 'SAVE THE WORLD' CRAP, AND FOR WHAT!?"

"... Corrin." Julius spoke out. "Do you say that because you hate violence?"

With a sniff, Corrin nods.

"... You think that I like seeing people get slaughtered like sheep?" She whimpered out. "Just thinking about makes me want to hurl..."

"But..." Finral tries to point out that her performance in the dungeon being relatively satisfactory, but knows the situation in hand requires more sensitive touch-

"Your aggressive facade was just your way of lashing out, correct?" Jericho pointed out.

... Or just go in _blunt_ against the poor girl.

"Heh." She snorted out. "... Nothing ever gets past you, doesn't it?"

He nods.

"Then you should know." She continued. "Look, I'm just saying that I never wanted to be here in the first place, and before any of you asses start saying that 'I'm wasting my potential' bullcrap, then I've got one thing to say of this crap."

Corrin then rips her Golden Dawn Robe off of her and throws it onto the ground.

"I quit." She stated. "I'm not getting roped into this crap anymore!"

"... Very well." Julius then deactivates his [Monadikótita] spell, causing time to resume once more.

Corrin then walks out the door as Marx extracts her memories regarding the Demons, only leaving vague memories of her first mission as a Magic Knight being a complete disaster.

It did not deter her soured feelings of her situation.

"Jericho, can you hand Corrin this?"

He then gives him a card labeled "The Explorer's Guild".

"Hand that to Corrin before she walks out the door completely."

Jericho then walks down the hallways reaching the ex-Magic Knight.

"Here." He then hands Corrin the card.

"... Thanks." She grimly stated.

She then looks warily out the window, to find a large cloud of black smoke choking the once-blue sky.

"Jericho..." Corrin tapped Jericho's back.

"What is it?" He replied.

She then rushes towards the window adjacent to her and swings the hinges open with all her might.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?" She yelled out.

From the windows, a visage straight out of hell was made form.

The skies were choked with smoke rising from the burning buildings below, the air itself was suffocating with fumes and screams of terror alike, and shambling in the streets of the Capital City were people running about, and the walking dead devouring said people.

And just passing by the two was a messenger running past them.

"I think that the rest will know soon enough." Jericho stated.

"Well then what are we waiting for!?" Corrin cried out. "We have to help them-"

She then looks down on her lack of a Magic Knight Robe on her.

Corrin then runs into a moral crossroad.

 _Leave and let the people die, or stay and immediately contradict herself?_

"... I'll tell them the rest." Jericho then runs past the stiff Corrin and back to the Wizard King's study.

* * *

 **Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre Outskirts, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

Beyond the badlands of the Clover Kingdom's Capital City's walls, four cloaked figures were standing outside as the anarchy pollutes this once-pristine city.

Around them were numerous portals that were spawning the undead beyond their graves, slowly sprawling their way towards the screaming city, with all forms of resistance being mauled to death by the undead horde.

"Oh! Don't forget to take your medicine!"

Sally then summons her [Sticky Salamander], injects it with a syringe of black liquid, which then turns the slime familiar from a pinkish-purple hue, to a charcoal-black and sludge-like substance.

The [Sticky Salamander] then spouts out a bombardment of its own, polluted substance onto the summoned undead horde.

One of the undead then dashes towards Rades, with the thrall biting him in his arm.

"Oww!" Rades cried out as he kicked it away.

"Oh don't be such a baby, Rades." Sally assured her necromancer compatriot. "My [Nu Gene] makes sure that none of us will be infected by the [Omega Parasites] that my [Sticky Salamander] has distributed post-injection."

"WELL IT STILL HURTS LIKE HELL!" Rades shouted back.

"Eh, it's not so bad." Crowley remarked. "It's kinda like bitten by a dog."

"FUCK OFF! I HATE DOGS!" Rades flipped a bird towards the Unfortunate.

"If you have time to complain, then use that time to help me maintain the gates to graveyards in parallel realities, which, by the way, I need your help if you want your undead army up in specs, then I suggest you do said thing before my portals start huffing blanks!" Valtos remarked.

"Fine..." He sighed out as he then activated his [Soul Corpse Magic] with Valtos's [Spatial Magic]. "So does it go again-oh right!"

Both Rades and Valtos put their hands on the ground as multiple portals appears, drawing out more shambling undead from _parallel worlds_ and _alternate timelines_.

 **"[Soul Corpse & Spatial Compound Magic: House of the Dead]!"**

More hordes were summoned from the spell, all of them being infected by Sally's [Omega Parasites] that her [Sticky Salamander] were distributing among the horde besieging the Capital.

"Well everything's going smoothly..." Crowley stated as he handed out [Mana Potions] to the other three mages. "Here. Don't run dry now, ya hear?

"Aw shuddup." Rades remarked as he downed the blue vial. The necromancer then gags out the vial. "Ugh! What the hell is this made of!?"

"Dandelions, Moguro leaves, purified Mimishroom spores, and a bit of Gauno." Crowley explained.

"He means _bat shit_." Sally cheerfully pointed out.

Rades then begins sputtering and screaming out of disgust.

"NO WONDER WHY IT TASTES LIKE IT CAME OUT OF YOUR ASS!" Rades cried out. "Ugh, anyway, there are roughly 100,000 of my thralls heading their marry way towards the Capital, and at around this time, I think the guards by the walls should've been infected and turned into my thralls-"

A massive blast of flame shoots out towards the sky.

Rades then sees several of his thralls go flying.

".. You were saying?" Valtos remarked.

With a grumble, Rades then invokes the [House of the Dead], along with his "specialists".

A bandaged figure in a pristine and white clerical attire, a lean male figure covered head to toe in bandages with flowing azure robes and draped with thin silver chains, and a female-like figure in a witch's attire, but its arms being literal broom heads, and legs obscured within a giant black cauldron, appear out of the portal behind the necromancer.

"[#1 Carl], [#8 Heath], and [#13 Catherine]..." Rades hissed out. "... Time to get to work."

The three special thralls then move out towards the besieged Capital City.

"Ohh, think I see somethin'." Sally grinned.

From a distance, several flying mages can be seen from a distance, heading towards where they are at.

"... What do you mean somethin'?" Rades remarked. "All I see are more would-be thralls."

"Eh, I'll gift them to ya." Sally then opens her grimoire. "[Gel Creation Magic: Boa Ballista]."

A slimy construct that is reminiscent of a snake-like crossbow appears before her.

"... And fire!"

Several globs of translucent black gel hurls towards the mages in the air.

All of them hit their marks, and mages plummet to their deaths with all of them landing on their heads.

"Bulls-eye." She pumped her fist. "All yours, Rades!"

The necromancer smiles upon seeing the dead mages now _reanimated_ from the [Omega Parasite]-laced gel.

"Alright my new pretties!" Rades cheerfully stated. "Time to start your new lives as my thralls!"

The reanimated mages then enter through Valtos's gate, to be used for later purposes.

"Ahahahaha!" Rades cackled out triumphantly. "Now no one will ever stop us-"

Crowley then places his index onto the necromancer's lips.

"Don't jinx it buddy." The Unfortunate pointed out. "Save the gloating _after_ the whole Capital is burned to the ground."

 **"Oh? And how will you do that, I wonder?"**

Right in the middle the four Midnight Sun mages was the Wizard King himself.

"OH SHITBISCUIT!" Rades exclaimed. "IT'S THE WIZARD KING-"

"Yo!" Julius greeted with an eerily-bright smile. "How you're all doing today?"

An array of magic orbs appear around the Wizard King.

"Now would you kindly all leave, for the good of the kingdom?"

The orbs fire, surrounding him in a ring of kicked up dust and dirt.

"Hmm?" The Wizard King exclaimed. "... How did I miss all of them?"

When the dust settles, the mages are left unharmed, albeit surround by the craters left behind by the Wizard King's attack.

And from the slowly-dissipating clouds of dust appeared the haggard-looking mage of the Eye of the Midnight Sun.

"Holy shit..." Rades wheezed out. "We almost died back there..."

"I'll hold him off." Crowley stated. "You three get back to raising hell."

The three get the hell out and resume raising shit all over the Capital.

"Hmm." Julius stated. "You seem to be an... _odd_ case."

A bird poops on top of the mage's head.

"Geez, haven't heard that one before." Crowley remarked. "So are we going to fight or-"

 **"[Time Binding Magic: Chronostasis]."**

The mage is then encased in a orb of [Time Magic], unable to move.

"Now regarding them..." Julius remarked.

But before he can do anything, the [Chronostasis] orb surrounding Crowley begins to _crack_.

The Wizard King hears of this, and turns to see such thing happen.

"... Oh dear."

The [Chronostasis] has been broken, and the Unfortunate is released form his seal.

"[Fate Magic: Rewrite]..." The mage breathed out.

"So [Fate Magic]..." Julius remarked. "... Quite an interesting magic you got there."

"Oi, my eyes are up here." The mage spat out. "So you must be the current Wizard King, Julius Novachrono, former Captain of the Gray Deer now known as Aqua Deer, and the user of the broken-ass [Time Magic]."

"Oh, already knew that I was famous, but to that detail?" Julius commented.

"Trust me." The Unfortunate stated. "I happened to know you _personally_ , Mr. Novachrono."

"And when did we meet?" The Wizard King asked.

The haggard mage then opens his grimoire and brandishes his former crutch as a cudgel.

"Does the name _Crowley Asher_ ring a bell, Julius Novachrono?"

"... You mean that Asher?" Julius's eyes widened. "The same Asher that happened to be descendants of Clover Kingdom's very first Magic Knight Captain, _Aleister Asher_ , the _Fortunate Sun_?"

"The very same linage that I've inadvertently cursed into oblivion." Crowley claimed. "The very _same_ cause of the day where I received my grimoire, and the Asher lineage met their grisly end."

"... So that explains the _four-leaf_ grimoire that's also a _one-pager_." Julius commented.

Crowley then begins to _cackle_.

"You have no _goddamned_ idea how I felt that day..." Crowley went on. "It was like if the _whole world_ was laughing at my misfortune..."

The haggard mage then begins to _claw_ and _rake_ all over his own face, drawing _blood_ with each rip and tear.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW I FELT WHEN MY PARENTS AND PEERS ALIKE LAUGHED AT ME FOR ME HAVING A ONE-PAGE FOUR-LEAF GRIMOIRE!?" He went on. "I FELT LIKE THE FACADE OF KINDNESS THAT WERE ONCE MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY WAS RIPPED OFF, REVEALING THEIR TRUE TWISTED NATURES AS THEY MOCKED AND SPAT ON ME! I GOT SO MAD THAT I USED MY NEWFOUND [Fate Magic] TO RAZE THE ENTIRE GRIMOIRE TOWER TO THE GROUND, KILLING EVERY LAST OF THOSE YUTZES THAT DARED TO MOCK MY MISFORTUNE! DEEP DOWN, I KNEW THAT I WAS IN THE WRONG WHEN I DID THAT, BUT THEY WERE NO BETTER! JUST WHAT KIND OF INGRATE DOES THAT TO PEOPLE!? IT WAS THEIR FAULT THAT MY HAND WAS FORCED! THEY WERE GOING TO KILL ME BECAUSE I WAS CONSIDERED WEAK AMONG THE OTHER NOBLES! MY SO-CALLED FRIENDS AND FAMILY TRIED TO MURDER ME BECAUSE OF THIS FUCKING FOUR-LEAF ONE-PAGER!"

"... Is that all you have to say about yourself?" Julius stated in an _unamused_ tone. "It's not that I'm disappointed in you, but at the same time, I kind of am."

"... I sorted of figured that would be the case." Crowley stated. "And before you go on about that I should've had thicker skin; here's my defense."

The Unfortunate then stumbles towards the Wizard King.

"Not all of us make it to the end, and those who still wish to go on despite that only find solace in the depths of the darkness that the light casts upon." Crowley stated. "So yes, I could've stopped, but take a look at the word, 'could've'."

Julius then tries to activate his [Time Magic], but for some odd reason, they keep hitting anything _but_ Crowley.

 **"I refuse to let _anyone_ roll the dice."** Crowley declared. **"Not you, not my so-called peers, and especially, not me. No more taking chances, no more waiting, and certainly, no more hesitation!"**

The haggard mage then opens his grimoire.

 **"Oh, and P.S., the reason why you aren't able to touch me with your [Time Magic] is that my [Fate Magic]'s little feature called a 'karma debt'."** He stated. **"I usually have to pay the equal karma every time I use my magic, but I can also pay for that by simply rolling the old karma debt over with new ones."** Crowley explained. **"In other words, as long as I keep using my magic to control your magic's outcome repeatedly, then my karma debt won't catch up to me right before I bury you."**

"And pray tell, how will you even manage?" Julius retorted. "You're strong, but you seem to lack a righteous heart."

 **"1,000 yuls state that you got that from Fuegoleon, didn't ya?"** Crowley pointed out.

"He has a point." Julius comment.

 **"Then save that for someone who actually needs it, Julius."** Crowley bit back while redirecting another [Chronostasis] away from him with his [Rewrite]. **"Can't have a righteous heart when the heart itself has rotted away, now can it?"**

"Only because _you_ let it." Julius retorted.

 **"WELL IT'S TOO LATE FOR ME!"** Crowley cried out. **"I'M BORN WEAK, AND I BECAME STRONG AFTER I'VE ABANDONED MY SENSE OF GOODNESS! THE PEOPLE OF CLOVER KINGDOM ARE EVIL!"**

"Not everyone." He stated. "And judging by the look on your face, you're also aware of that, correct?"

 **"I can't take my chances with them anymore..."** Crowley mumbled out while the earth around him was rotting beneath his feet. **"You say that they good, which I agree with, but I have yet to see it proven right, Julius."**

The air around the two begins to grow thick and heavy from the their clashing mana.

 **"NO MORE WAITING!"** Crowley declared. **"FROM NOW ON, THERE'S NO FATE BUT THE ONES THAT I WRITE FOR MYSELF!"**

 **"SO COME JULIUS! COME AND STRIKE ME DOWN, SO THAT YOU MAY CONVINCE ME THAT THE PEOPLE OF THIS KINGDOM ARE GOOD AS YOU CLAIM!"**

The Wizard King's [Time Magic] and the Unfortunate's [Fate Magic] begins to clash against each other mercilessly.

The very earth under their feet began to rot and enrich repeatedly. Lost fauna was being regrown and going extinct over and over again.

The very space-time continuum around them begins to distort as one mage controls the flow of time, while the other is rewriting reality itself, warping it to his favor.

Within the walls, citizens and Magic Knights alike were being slaughtered like flocks of sheep to a pack of wolves as they were trying to assess the situation at hand while trying not to get themselves killed or _infected_.

Regardless, it was clear that this was the battle that would decide the fate of the Clover Kingdom.

And that is only the first of _many_ battles ahead...

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Thought I'd tried something new with the canon's Clover Kingdom Capital Invasion Arc.

So the four remaining members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun were smart enough to plan out their attack, use the corpses of their former allies to bolster Rades's undead arsenal, and Sally finally using her scientific pedigree to cook up a virus that turns regular zombies into plague zombies, which by the way, is more practical (and effective) then whatever crap that she brought out in the canon.

Oh and can't forget to mention, the four are immunized from said virus, because after all, you can't make a poison without making a cure.

Also, Corrin is willing to call quits, at the worst timing imaginable.

Still, the Clover Capital is going to get fucked hard.

So what do you guys think of this chapter?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience are thinking.

Addendum (26 March, 2020): Just realized that Golden Dawn are a recent thing. So instead Ashers being the first Golden Dawn, they were the first Magic Knights of Clover Kingdom.


	25. Saga 25: House of 1,000 Corpses Part 2

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 25: House of 1,000 Corpses Part 2**

* * *

 **Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre Outskirts, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

 **"DANCE! FUCKERS DANCE! LET THE MOTHERFUCKERS BURN!"**

Over the roaring flames, snarling undead, and people running amok, Rades was cackling gleefully at the slaughter taking place.

Each bitten civilian were subverted into his personal thralls, thanks to the collaborated efforts between his [Soul Corpse Magic] and Sally's alchemy.

His [Specialists] were routing the Magic Knights completely, or delaying them long enough for the people that they were trying to save were turned into his thralls at worst.

 _"You know..."_ Rades thought amidst of the chaos ensuing. _"Maybe working together with other people ain't so bad..."_

* * *

 **A week prior...**

 **Classified** **Location (Evening)**

* * *

 _The four remaining remnants of Eye of the Midnight Sun were trekking through the forest edging the Clover/Spade Kingdom border like if the wind themselves were on their backs._

 _"Here we are~!" Sally gleefully declared as she skipped towards the cave._

 _"... It's just a cave." Rades stated._

 _Sally then presses one of the rocks on the cave walls._

 _A rumble is felt from the earth, and secret passage was opened from the end of the cave._

 _"C'mon." Sally then strikes a match against the sole of her boot. "Move it or lose it."_

 _The three then follow the female mage into the depths of darkness, with the daylight behind them slowly becoming dim._

 _The four then reach the open hatch going into the wall, making their way down the staircase leading towards somewhere below._

 _"Here we are~!" Sally sang out as she pulled onto something._

 _With a click, the whole room lights up, revealing an elaborate and surprisingly organized (given who allegedly owns this place) laboratory._

 _"Welcome to my secret lab!" Sally stated gleefully. "Before I joined the Eye of the Midnight Sun, I've been doing my more... 'personal' projects here in this cave!"_

 _"... Fascinating." Crowley commented while peering at a jar full of squirming, worm-like creatures that resembled a man's member._

 _"Don't touch that." Sally pointed out sternly. "Those buggers will latch onto your ass and fry your source of mana then eat up all of your insides before it moves on and repeats the process."_

 _"Wait, you created them!?" Rades cried out._

 _"... Okay, it was a collaboration." Sally meekly answered. "But the wrinkly fart got arrested before I got caught, but considering that I literally spent eight months working on that crap, I just thought that disposing them would be a waste."_

 _"... Let's never bring that up again." Valtos stated. "Sally, do you happened to have a vault around here?"_

 _She then runs towards one of the walls in the room, takes off her glasses, and a gemstone embedded onto the crags shines a light onto her iris._

 _Next to her, another point of entry opens._

 _"Gimme that." Sally then takes the jar full of the worms and places it inside the hidden vault._

 _She then comes back out as the vault's door seals itself back again._

 _"There." She sighed out. "Now we can do our work without anymore interruptions, I presume?"_

 _No one objects._

 _"Good!" She chirped. "Valtos, Rades, to the operating table, if you will."_

 _The two then head towards the large, bloodstained table sitting below a lamplight._

 _"... I'll clean it later." Sally remarked. "We're working with corpses anyway. Valtos! If you will!"_

 _A portal opens above the table, spilling out the corpses onto the table._

 _"Alright gentlemen." Sally then pulls out a pair of gloves, hair net, and a germ mask beneath the table and puts them on herself. "... What? I may be an amoral doctor, but even then, I'm hygienic."_

 _"... That explains this whole place's state." Valtos commented._

 _"Peh, who gives a shit?"_

 _Rades then jams his arms into one of the corpses, gutting them with his bare hands._

 _"I lived in the crypts, so me handling bodies is another Tuesday for me." Rades stated. "Sally, can you hand me a knife? I need to cut out the rest before I can implant my runes into the corpses."_

 _Sally just gives the necromancer an annoyed look as she handed him a scalpel._

* * *

 **Back to Present Time...**

* * *

"Still..." Rades muttered out as he scoured the rooftops above the corpse-ridden streets of Quatre, all the while baring a pleased look on his face. "... There ain't enough death around. In fact, what the hell are taking them so long to reach the damn castle-"

Next to him, an explosion of flying bodies was seen.

"... Fuck."

Of course, Rades, even with his mountain-sized ego knocked down by several pegs prior to his first death, he was still blind to the fact that not all Magic Knights were incompetent as he initially thought.

Normally, Rades would react by sending his [Specialists] towards the epicenter of the mounting resistance in order to keep face, but him losing his life back then kind of cleared his head a little.

So instead doing the former, he just instead tells Valtos the following:

 **"Send out as much of the undead you can. We're finishing this _today_."**

On the other side of the battle, the Magic Knights were faring rather... not that poorly.

"EVERYONE!" One of the Blue Rose Knights cried out. "EVACUATE THE PREMISES IMMEDIATELY!"

The civilians that weren't bit were fleeing throughout the streets and towards the checkpoints secured throughout the Capital.

"HEY MANTRASH!" Sol cried out from atop of her [Rampaging Mother Earth]. "JUST HOW MANY OF THOSE FUCKERS ARE DOWN THERE!?"

"I stopped counting after a million, Sol." Cole replied dryly from his [Wind Creation Magic: Nimbus Platform] above the golem. "And for the record, it doesn't change the fact that we're severely outnumbered."

"SO WHAT!?" She roared back. "THESE PUNKS STAND NO CHANCE AGAINST US MAGIC KNIGHTS!" Sol replied confidently.

With a sigh, Cole reluctantly nods in agreement.

"Alright." Cole then readies his [Stream Shot]. "If you get bit, then it's my responsibility to take you out."

"Right back at you, asshole."

The two then begin their coordinated assault against the coming horde in hopes of thinning their numbers.

At the other street, Juniper, Noire, Lyra, and Cygnus were holding a rampart against the coming horde.

"Sorry if I'm late!" Juniper cried out.

"Better late then never, newbie." Noire stated. "How are the civilians?"

"They're all safely evacuated at Checkpoint A." She answered. "Do any of you need healing?"

"We're fine, as you can see." Lyra stated in a monotone voice. "Although these creatures have proven themselves to be rather..."

She then strums her lyre, her [Phonic Break] shattering the joints of the undead, rendering them immobile.

"... Persistent." She answered.

"Umm, ladies?" Cygnus spoke out in a worried tone. "What the hell is that!?"

From the corpses came out a swarm of giant, maggot-like creatures, slowly crawling their way towards them.

"Everyone! Get off the ground!"

The four then get on their brooms as they see the swarm grow bigger as they continue to merge together.

Juniper then takes a closer look at the swarm, and vomits.

"EVERYONE!" Juniper screeched out. "KILL THOSE THINGS!"

The four Blue Rose Knights then begin to bombard the worms, not intending to stick around to know what these things will even do.

Elsewhere, Sekke, En, and Jack the Ripper were holding the line in order for the the civilians to flee safely.

"Keh Keh Keh!" Jack chuckled out as his [Severing Magic] were mowing down the undead in droves.

The rent corpses then spawned the worm-like creatures from their opened bodies.

"BAH-HA! WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE!?" Sekke screeched out in terror.

"Keh Keh Keh!" Jack chuckled out. "Who gives a crap!?"

His arm blades then extend out further.

"IF IT BLEEDS, THEN IT CAN BE CUT!" He cried out in joy. "[Severing Magic: Atomic Separator]!"

Two swings from his arm blades, undead, the worms, and the buildings around it.

... All of them were reduced to _dust_.

"... Bah-ha?" Sekke gawked.

"That's Captain Jack for you..." En mumbled out.

"HE'S TRULY THE MASTER OF OFFENSIVE MAGIC!" En's [Mr. Talking Mushroom] loudly declared.

"IF YOU TWO ARE DONE BROWN NOSING, THEN GET BACK TO KICKING ASS!"

The two Green Mantis Knights then get back to doing their jobs, i.e., routing the undead.

Sekke's [Sekke Magnum Cannonball] repels the undead while En's [Mr. Towering Mushroom] punts the undead back out of the Capital's walls.

"Bah-ha!" Sekke exclaimed victoriously. "Now no one can stop the Clover's best!"

A blackish-purple wad of magic hit's the bronze encasement, _melting_ down the cloister's walls.

"... Bah-ha?"

A lean and hunchbacked undead with two additional arms sprouting out from its stumbles towards the Green Mantis Knights with its arms stretched out towards the front.

[#4: Jimmy] then fires out his [Poison Curse Magic: _Bombas de Plaga_ ] from all four of its arms and towards the frozen [Bronze Magic] user.

"GET DOWN YOU FOOL!" [Mr. Talking Mushroom] roared out from En's shoulder.

[Mr. Towering Mushroom] shields Sekke, taking the blows for him before rotting away from the [Specialist]'s [Poison Curse Magic].

"Ba-ba-bah-WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Sekke screeched out. "NOW THE ZOMBIES CAN USE MAGIC AS WELL!?"

"Keh. Persistent bastards." Jack spat out. "By the way, there's another."

A cloaked, _floating_ undead with bird-like wings for its arms and legs flies towards the towards the three Magic Knights.

"OH COME ON! THEY CAN FLY TOO!?" Sekke screamed out in disbelief.

[#5: George] then fires out [Wind Magic: Tornado Needles] indiscriminately, shooting through civilians and undead alike.

"NOW WHAT!?" Sekke cried out in panic.

Jack smiles.

"Uh-oh..." Sekke stated.

"You're bait." Jack ordered with a sadistic grin while brandishing his [Death Scythes] towards Sekke. "Start running."

One [Sekke's Shooting Star] later, Jack cuts the stray bullets of [Poison Magic] down with his [Death Scythe].

"KEH KEH KEH!" Jack cackled out. "RUN, SEKKE! RUN!"

"En Ringard reporting..." En spoke through the [Magical Communicator]. "Path to Checkpoint C is clear..."

 _"THIS IS CHECKPOINT B!"_ The voice from the other side replied in an urgent tone. _"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK AND PINNED DOWN! REQUESTING ASSISTANCE SOON AS POSSIBLE!"_

Mainly due to the fact that _four_ [Specialists] were besieging the place, and the only thing standing between the civilians and the undead were the Crimson Lions (Leopold; rest are dead twice over), and a Purple Orca Knight relaying the signal.

In front of the exhausted Crimson Lion Knight were _four_ [Specialist]-type corpses.

One had spike dark brown hair and was wearing a sleeveless white cloak, with its arms and legs now being covered in [Titan Hands] and [Titan Boots], both of which were covered in blood from stomping several Purple Orcas to death. This was [#10: Seth], the [Earth Magic Specialist].

The other was a redheaded figure, covered in bandages head to toe, and around him are suspended reanimated corpses of the Crimson Magic Knights hung from its [Green Webbing]. This was [#7: Kerry], the [Emerald Magic Specialist].

The third was a bloated figure with a black bag covering its head. It had three arms, its whole body looked like if they were stitched together, and beneath its feet was a puddle of muddy water with the tendrils coming our of it, which by the way, has been a real pain in the ass for Leopold to deal with. [#3: David], the [Muddy Water Magic Specialist], has proven itself to be the most troublesome.

And finally, there was a tall and lean figure, dressed in dull sky blue with fur covering the fringes of its collar, and its whole body was covered in [Winter Hunt Garbs], an ice armor with a wolf-motif, and in the wolf's "mouth", was a freshly-killed Purple Orca, who just happened to have been the guy who was the one that sent out the distress signal. [#8: Heath], the [Ice Magic Specialist], and the most nimble and stealthiest of the four present.

"Shit!" Leopold cursed. "At this rate, Checkpoint B will be overrun by these creeps..."

Two orbs of fire form onto Leopold's hands.

"... BUT OVER MY DEAD BODY, YOU ROTTEN BASTARDS!" Leopold roared out. "[Fire Magic: Spiral Flames]!"

Two twisters of flame shoot out of Leopold's palms at the the four undead.

But that attack was in vain.

[#3: David]'s [Mud & Water Compound Magic: Swamp Wave] to erect a wall of muddy water to peter out the two flames, [#7: Kerry] then uses [Emerald Binding Magic: Green Webbing] to bind the Crimson Lion Knight's legs to prevent him from moving, [#8: Heath] and [#10: Seth] then clothesline him with [Ice Creation Magic: Clear Crescent Claws] and [Earth Magic: Titan Punch], causing Leopold to kneel over in pain.

"Shit..." Leopold coughed out in blood. "... You think this is enough to kill me?"

The ice-wolf undead then dashes towards him to finish him off.

"THEN COME AND FUCKING GET ME, YOU DAMN BASTARDS!" Leopold roared out as he coated his right fist with his [Fire Magic].

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT, YOU DAMN BRAT!"

Leopold's punch connects, but the undead didn't go flying from his own.

But rather, it was from his _elder sister's_ fist.

"... Big sis Mereoleona?" Leopold gawked out as [#8: Heath] went flying back.

"IF YOU HAVE TIME TO GAWK THEN GET BACK TO KICKING ASS ALREADY!" The Crimson Lion Vice-Captain roared out.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" A deep masculine voice _roared_ out.

Above him, a torrent of fire rained down upon the four undead, with the only things preventing them from burning being an erected wall of [Emerald Creation Magic: City Cathedral] and [Ice Creation Magic: Heavenly Ice Wall], creating a wall that resisted the oncoming prominence.

"Big bro Fuegoleon!" Leopold cried out.

"Well done for holding out for this long." Fuegoleon complimented. "Now that the three of us are fighting together, it falls to us that the people behind us do not die."

"Normally I would say that I'm more than enough to handle all four of them at the same time..." Mereoleona commented before trailing off. "... But from the reports and from what I saw of them, these buggers work _fast_."

The [Green Webbing] holding the infected Magic Knights snaps loose, setting the rabid thralls free and towards the hapless crowd of evacuees.

"I think not!" Fuegoleon roared out. "[Fire Creation Magic: Navis Solis]!"

A curtain of bright flames whip out of Fuegoleon's arm, snagging the undead thralls while incerating them along with the worm-like parasites.

From one of the rooftops, a turned Purple Orca zombie pounces towards Fuegoleon.

"BIG BRO! BEHIND YOU-"

Mereoleona's [Leo Palma] intercepts the undead as the flames crush it to dust.

An [Omega Parasite] crawls out of the thrall's gaping mouth, as it spots a little girl within the crowd as its new host, and slips towards her.

"I WON'T LET YOU!" Leopold then opens his grimoire. "[Fire Creation Magic: Lion-Tamer's Whip]!"

A lash from a whip made of fire snaps at the worm, causing it to crumble into ash before it can turn the girl into its host.

"Th-Thank you, Mr. Magic Knight!" The girl cried out. "YOU CAN DO THIS! PLEASE WIN!"

"No need." Leopold boasted. "Save that praise _after_ we win."

"I'll protect the civilians from the oncoming horde and look out for potential infectees." Fugeoleon ordered. "You two, I trust you that the two of you won't get bit?"

Mereoleona and Leopold smile.

"THEY CAN'T BITE US IF THEIR JAWS ARE BROKEN!"

The Vermilion siblings then reinforce the defensive lines of Checkpoint B lest it falls to the hands of the undead.

At Checkpoint D, the area where the Blue Rose Knights Headquarters were, things were faring a bit better, with what having the most civilians rescued and secured, and their defensive lines held out against the thralls.

... Until _they_ came along, which then began their uphill battle from there.

"You're mine!" A blue-haired Blue Rose Knight charged towards the floating undead in clerical garbs.

"AQUA, DON'T-"

She didn't stop.

"[Water Creation Magic-"

Before the female Magic Knight can cast her spell, she is suddenly _cut_ in half _vertically_ , as if a sharp sheet of invisible air burst out from her insides.

The Magic Knight falls dead in halves.

Right after Magic Knight fell dead, a _lanky_ figure wrapped head-to-toe in bandages and eye-like ornaments all over its body, its back carrying a _giant_ spool of _sewing thread_ , its body being _nothing_ but _eight_ arms, each hand holding a different sewing tool (needle, threader, measuring tape, a pair of _stapler guns_ [oddly enough], etc.), fishes out the halves of the fallen Magic Knight, observes the state of the corpse, right before it gets to work mending the corpse back together.

Upon finishing its "handiwork", the corpse is revealed to be finished as a _crudely-patched cadaver_ of of a Magic Knight.

Worst of all, Aqua _wasn't_ the _first_ , as evidenced by the heap of equally-crudely-patched corpses behind the eight-armed revenant, with its recent handiwork _tossed_ onto the pile.

And no, Charlotte's attacks somehow failed to make a dent on the duo, with her whips being cut mid-swing by that pope-like floating zombie using its [Barrier Magic] to cut her [Thorn Magic] by erecting its magic shields _inside_ the vines themselves.

At this point, Charlotte was starting to assume that the two of them were just messing with her and her Knights, somehow managing to exploit their naturally-impulsive attitudes, despite the Captain's constant warnings.

Upon the eight-armed revenant then looks back at its pile, it pulls out a bronze bell, and starts ringing it frantically, emitting a _cacophonic_ ringing throughout the smoky skies.

From above, the Blue Rose Knight Captain then sees another figure flies towards the undead duo.

A witch-like figure with broomheads for hands, and around its lower torso was a black cauldron, its edges squirming and crawling out with those grotesque worms coming from the zombies with each sway.

It then flails its broom-hands wildly, scattering ash-like particles onto the pile of corpses.

Charlotte then sees all of the bodies _twitching_.

Now standing before her was [#1: Carl; Barrier Magic Specialist], [#9: Sawyer; Iron Magic Specialist], [#13: Catherine; Ash Magic Specialist], and her once fellow Blue Rose Knights, now facing them as _drooling_ , _enslaved_ , _magled_ , and _rotten shells_ of their former glories.

With another clang from the bell, the Blue Rose thralls then begin to charge towards their former captain.

"Fellow women, forgive me!" Charlotte then lashes out her [Conqueror's Brandish], the Blue Captain's go-to [Thorn Magic], towards her subverted Magic Knights.

Between the two, a wall of thick roots and sand was erected.

"Hmph." Alecdora's voice huffed out. "For a Captain of the Blue Roses, your handling of this situation seem to be... _less_ than ideal."

"Now, now, Sandler." William Vangeance stated. "We have much more dire matters to deal with."

"EXACTLY!"

From the other side of the Captain, five distinct figures appeared on top of the building across from the Golden Dawn.

"Hmph, we've no need for the likes of you." Alecdora spat out in bemusement.

The one at the center then jump off the roof and dives towards the papial revenant.

[#1: Carl] then activates his [Barrier Binding Magic: Cube] to encase the flying, hooded Blue Rose Knight.

"Useless!" The hooded Magic Knight then opens her grimoire.

An armored, blue theater mask with a single, X-shaped, ruby-red visor at its center appears before her face.

 **"[Mask Magic: X-Visor]!"**

The blue mask latches onto her face, encasing the Knight in a set of blue combat armor with a single ruby-red monoeye on the mask-turned-helmet.

"Hey..." One of the civilians pointed out. "That's one of the Blue Roses _'Five Divas'_ , isn't it!?"

"You mean the five candidates to be the next Captain for the Blue Rose Knights?"

"Yeah! That!" The woman spoke out. "The mask, the cape opted for a cloak..."

"It's The Masquerade!" The man cried out. "The _'Masked Heroine'_ of the Five Divas!"

The armored heroine punches through her would-be encasement, right before landing on the ground, breaking the the tiles beneath her feet and fist.

"Captain Charlotte." The masked Knight stated. "Checkpoint E and F have been secured, and we've come to lend aid."

"Hmph. Who said we needed your help, woman?" Alecdora scoffed while crushing the revenant Knights to dust with his [Sand Box].

"Enough." William stated. "We have no time to fight amongst ourselves." The masked Captain then looks up to the rest of the four. "We welcome your assistance, Five Divas."

"You shouldn't have asked, Captain Vangeance." A haughty female voice spoke out from one of the four.

The other four then jump off the rooftops, throwing off their hoods to reveal their faces.

"Hey..." One of the civilians pointed towards the Knight with the blonde ringlets, wearing a _sailor-like_ uniform and navy-blue skirt with silver gauntlets and grieves covering her arms and legs, and a rapier sheathed around her belt. "That's the _'Moonlit Butterfly'_ , Papillon Marionette!"

"You mean the [Silver Magic] user that can create silver blades that can cut through just about anything?" The female voice cried out. "If she's here, then we're saved!"

"That's Bastet Adler!" The man pointed towards the short blonde-haired Knight with a very long ponytail held up by a very large magenta ribbon, holding onto a whip's handle in her right hand.

"You mean the _'Beast Goddess'_!?" A lady's voice cried out. "The same one where her natural charisma can tame an soothe even the wildest of animals!?"

"Her [Beast Magic] is unparalleled as a force multiplier!" A man's voice cried out. "Look! Over there!"

He points towards a sultry-looking woman with jade-green hair flowing down to her thighs and with a vacant-look on her eyes beneath her large black and purple wide-brimmed hat of a witch, wearing a modest, yet form-fitting purple dress, and her hands holding a staff with an amethyst orb on its tip, and a broomhead on the other end.

"That vacant look on her face... that waterfall-like green hair... and that staff..."

"It's Morrigan Phantasma!" A man's voice cried out. "Morrigan Phantasma, the _'Dark-Eyes Illusionist'_!"

"Her [Dark Magic] along with her witch heritage, I heard that in terms of raw magical power, she's equal to a _Captain_!"

"Look!" A man's voice pointed out.

Another Blue Rose Knight throws off her hood, revealing a blindfolded, pigtailed, snow-white-haired girl, wearing a flowing black and red kimono under her standard-issued robe, holding onto a sheathed straight blade in a cane-like casing, tapping on the flooring beneath her feet like a walking stick.

"That's Aion Galileo!" A woman pointed out. "The _'Swallowtail'_!"

"I heard that she's an ex-Black Bull due to her family disowning her for being born blind, but Captain Yami took her in and trained her both in magic and in swordplay!"

"Her [Severing Magic] can cut through anything so clean, that it turns one object into two seperate objects with one stroke!"

The Five Divas appear, driving back the oncoming horde by themselves.

"Hmph. That's nothing." Alecdora huffed. "Now see how a real Magic Knight does things!"

The Golden Dawn then turns towards the papal thrall.

"[Sand Creation Magic: Heavyarm Vanguard]!"

A giant armored knight made of sand appears before [#1: Carl], brandishing two massive blades.

"NOW DIE-"

The [Heavyarm Vanguard] is then cut in half.

"... Wha-"

Alecdora is also then split down the _middle_ behind his creation, along with the bastion tower of the Blue Rose Knights's HQ behind him.

[#1: Carl] then turns its attention towards the building itself, and encases the whole building in [Barrier Binding Magic: Bird Box].

 _"What's it doing by erecting a barrier around the civilians?"_ Charlotte thought while deflecting another of [#9: Sawyer]'s staplers.

Her question was answered by the barriers around the base _closing in_ onto the _civilians inside_.

 _"Oh my God!"_

 _"It's going to crush us all!"_

 _"SAVE US MAGIC KNIGHTS!"_

 _"It's trying to crush them inside!?"_ Charlotte panicked. _"This is bad..."_

She then looked towards the papal zombie, the only culprit, being protected my that meat-spider of a zombie.

 _"I have to beat it, and fast!"_

Then tree roots were erected _inside_ the [Bird Box], stopping its advance towards the people.

Charlotte then sees William's grimoire open.

"[World Tree Magic: Sycamore Formation-Nest]." William declared. "You seem to know what you're doing, so I suggest getting to it."

The barrier walls then _continue_ their inward advance, causing the Golden Dawn Captain to revert its focus back to maintaining the breached lines.

"What are you waiting for?" William pointed out. "Go!"

Charlotte then dashes towards [#9: Sawyer] and [#1: Carl], thorn whip in hand.

"You five! Hold the horde off!" Charlotte barked out. "I'm heading after the [Barrier Magic] user!"

Papillon kicks down a stray thrall. "Well, so much for helping the Captain ourselves..."

 **"Save your glory-hounding for later, Marionette."** Masquerade's voice echoed behind her mask while a bright red [Mana Beam] was fired from her red-X-shaped visor from her mask. **"Right now, we have a horde to rout."**

A yellow mask with sharp-looking features appears before her masked face.

 **"[Mask Magic: Wolf Reign]!"**

The yellow mask latches over her blue mask, transforming her into a yellow-armored figure with a pair of claw-like blades coming out of her knuckles, which then begin to mow through the mob like grass.

"Oh fine, if you say so." Papillon opens her grimoire. '[Silver Creation Magic: _Jardin des épées_ ]!"

A literal garden of silver swords burst out around her, impaling all of the thralls and their parasites controlling them.

"No one escapes my sword of justice!" Papillon declared boldly. "[Silver Magic: _Épée de justice_ ]!"

An elongated silver blade skewers through the horde while her herself was laughing out in a haughty fashion.

" _En-garde_ , you boobs! OH HO HO HO HO!"

"Tch." Bastet scoffed. "Pappy over there is loud as always..."

"Eh. I tuned her out long ago~." Morrigan remarked. "So, fearless leader, your orders?"

Aion then goes into a half-crouch as she unsheathes her _chokutō_ (that Captain Yami gifted to her during her graduation from the Black Bulls to the Blue Roses).

"Cut them all down." Her grimoire then opens up its pages. "[Severing Magic: _Chūden_ , _Inazuma_ ]."

She executes a full-circle-swing with her blade with the other two jumping upwards to avoid the swing arc, and then sheathes her blade upon finishing.

With the click of the sword returning into its sheath, the surrounding thralls were cleanly cut across their torsos, killing the [Omega Parasites] inside them at the same time.

"... Precise as always." Bastet remarked while wiping a drip of sweat off of her brows. "Well, time to pick up the slack."

The short Knight then opens her grimoire.

"[Beast Magic: Ursa Major]!"

An ethereal-looking bear is then summoned from Bastet's pages, with her mounting the astral beast on its back.

"Let's go, _Frazier_!"

With the crack of her whip, the starry-sky-skinned bear lets out a roar as it barrels through the thralls, with herself on the beast's back, firing [Mana Bullets] from her left palm.

"Oh well, guess I have to play along too~!

Her amethyst staff begins to emit a dark-purple light as she opens her grimoire while flying upwards in her broom/magic staff.

"[Dark Binding Magic: Dark Illusion]!"

A miasma of darkness envelops the zombies, preventing them from moving.

"And now~!" She then casts another spell. "[Dark Magic: Dark Sacrifice]!"

A murder of crows made of [Dark Magic] encroach the trapped zombies, ripping them and their [Omega Parasites] to mincemeat.

"It's fine as long as _we_ don't touch them, right~?" Morrigan remarked in an unsettlingly gleeful tone.

While the Five Divas and the rest of the Golden Dawn were holding the defensive lines, Charlotte charges towards the two revenants to stop their reign of terror.

"Prepare yourselves!" Charlotte declared bravely. "Your reign of terror ends now!"

* * *

 **Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre Outskirts, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

Beyond the walls and very far away from Julius and Crowley's duel, Rades and Sally were busy surveying the overall status, while Valtos had gone off elsewhere for "personal business".

... Not that the two care, since now they're both busy maintaining the horde's potency to their established standard.

"Hmm?" Sally turned her head over her shoulder. "You hear somethin'?"

"Nah, too busy making my thralls more deadly." Rades offhandedly mentioned.

The sounds of labored breathing then grows ever closer.

"... Rades, it's bugging me." Sally complained. "Can you be a lamb and get rid of it-"

"WOULD YOU TAKE NOTICE ALREADY!?" A male voice roared out between them.

Appearing out of nowhere was a portly man with an iron mask wearing the robes of the Purple Orca.

"... Who're you again?" Rades called out upon the flabbergasted fat man.

"IT'S GUELDRE POIZOT, YOU NINCOMPOOP!" The fat man barked out. "YOU KNOW!? CAPTAIN OF THE PURPLE ORCAS!? YOUR INSIDE-MAN AND THE GUY WHO LET DOWN THE MAGICAL BARRIERS IN THE FIRST PLACE!?"

Sally pounds her fist on top of her open palm in realization. "Oh! You mean you're the one who we wasted our magic items on just for information that we really didn't need in the end!"

"Wait..." The traitorous Captain called out. "... What do you mean by wasted-"

A syringe is inserted into his neck.

"It means the deal's off, fatass." Rades spat out while Sally was injecting her [Omega Parasites] into the Captain's body.

The bloated Magic Knight Captain slowly turns into a bloating corpse.

"Tch. A _Captain_ -level mage and yet a little cold killed ya." Rades then spits towards the side. "What fucking joke."

"Eh, on the plus side, you gotta another body to chop up and stitch back up together." Sally commented. "If not, I can turn his body into a nest for the [Omega Parasites] to incubate."

"Hell no." Rades then rolls the fat body into a portal left behind by Valtos.

"Hmm..." Sally then goes back to ruminating. "... I still wonder where Valtos went."

"If it makes you feel any better, his portals are still up." Rades pointed out.

"Hmm... nah, too vague." Sally remarked. "But... you have a point."

"Back to wrecking shit?" Rades asked.

"Rip em' a fresh new asshole..." Sally grinned manically.

* * *

 **Magic Knight Headquarters, Hospital Wing, Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

In a secure room within the medical ward was Luck's comatose body strapped to various life-support magic items and several staff members were attending to him with guard mages placed outside.

"Checking pulse..." One of the doctors spoke out. "... Normal."

"Checking brain waves..." Another staff stated. "... Stable."

"Checking mana signatures..." Another doctor stated. "... Wait a minute."

The readings of the mana were steadily _increasing_.

"W-What's going on-"

A portal opens _inside_ of one of the doctors.

An arm extends out _from_ the man's body, slowly _killing_ him by splitting him open from his stomach.

From the man's stomach came out a black-eyed mage in white robes and skin crawled out of the slowly dying man.

"... Damn." Valtos cursed. "So much for sneaking in..."

The black-eyed mage then looks around the hospital room, surrounded by terrified medical staff members and snarling guard mages, readying their magic.

Valtos just smiles.

"... I can take on a few extra."

Just at the outside halls, Yuno, Jericho, Finral, and Corrin (oddly enough), ran down the halls towards where Luck was being kept at.

Oddly enough, they don't see any guards outside, but they were too busy to care.

"Corrin, what are you doing here?" Finral asked. "I thought you left the Magic Knights!"

"And leave him to die!?" Corrin replied. "I'm not leaving when I can do something about it!"

"You say that you want to leave the Magic Knights and yet you seem to have a heart of one." Yuno commented while rolling down the hallway in his wheelchair.

"I just want to be a good person, not a murderer like my peers are associated as." Corrin bitterly replied. "Can people use magic for other then maiming people!?"

"Sadly, that's what power does to people." Jericho pointed out bluntly. "With power comes corruption, and corruption must be met and answered with power."

Corrin's expression turns that of shock.

"Not that we're helpless against it." Jericho reaffirmed. "The only thing we do so that we don't become the very corruption that we fight against, is that we must become _stronger_ then our magic."

"And how does that happen?" Corrin asked.

"Keep fighting." Jericho answered. "Not only against others, but also, and especially, _ourselves_."

"... I don't get it, but at the same time, I kinda do." Corrin answered with slight doubt.

"Think about it later, alright?" Yuno pointed out. "Right now, we need to get Luck out of here-"

"YUNO, LOOK OUT!"

The four-leaf turns forward to see a pitch-black portal open up before him.

Finral fires his [Fallen Angel Gate] towards the portal, canceling it out.

"That was a close one..." Finral sighed out.

"Who are you?" Jericho demanded at the black-eyed mage looming over the comatose Luck while being surrounded by dead bodies of guards and staff alike.

"So that's why we didn't see any guards outside of the halls..." Corrin stated.

"Hm." Valto scoffed. "I have no business with three Black Bulls and a robeless Magic Knight." He remarked.

"You mess with Luck, you mess with the Black Bulls!" Finral declared, bottling up his fear.

"My point exactly." Valtos shot back. "What can a bunch of ragtag mages do against me-"

Yuno fires a [Wind Blades Shower] towards the [Spatial Magic] user.

Valtos, unamused, opens a bunch of portals around him, catching the blades inside of them, preventing his possible hurting.

"Powerful, but sloppy." Valtos remarked.

He then opens a portal beneath Luck's cot and IV-equipment.

"You want him back?" Valtos stated.

Then several black portals appeared around Yuno.

Inside the pitch-black void, Yuno spots a glimpse of his own spell head back towards him.

"Then fight for it." Valtos declared.

Yuno then jumps out of his wheelchair last-minute before his own [Wind Blades Shower] tore his wheelchair to shreds.

"You wanna fight then!?" Yuno growled out while being hoisted back up by Jericho's shoulder.

[Sylph] appears on top of Yuno's head, ready to assist.

The other Black Bulls and one about-to-be ex-Golden Dawn ready themselves to fight to save Luck.

"THEN COME AND GET SOME!" Yuno roared out.

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued.._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Fun facts about the Five Divas:

The group itself are collectively and _very loosely_ based off of the Supreme Five Swords from Armed Girl's Machiavellism.

Masquerade is based off of Rin Onigawara; [Mask Magic] spells are homaging the X-Men Superheroes.

Papillon Marionette is based off of Mary Kikakujō; [Silver Magic] spells are worded in French and has fencing and swords as motifs (rapier as a hint).

Bastet Adler is based off of Warabi Hanasaka; [Beast Magic] spells are based off constellations and the summoned beasts are named after American boxers (gotta represent Kyo-Bo somehow).

Morrigan Phantasma is based off of Satori (Spoilers: Misogi) Tamaba; [Dark Magic] spells based off Yugioh Spell & Trap Card names (even her title is based off a 1-star Spellcaster-type Yugioh monster with the same name).

Aion Galileo is based off of Tsukuyo Inaba; [Severing Magic] spells are based off the _Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū_ techniques (foreshadowing?).

As for [#1: Carl]'s [Barrier Magic] spells are named after horror movies (Bird Box and Cube), not to mention, the revenant's [Barrier Magic] works like Bartolomeo's Barrier-Barrier Fruit from One Piece.

Speaking of the Five Divas...

... Hypothetical Voices! (just for funsies):

Masquerade: Yuki Takada (JPN), Kira Vincent-Davis (ENG)

Papillon Marionette: Sayaka Kitahara (JPN), Maggie Flecknoe (ENG)

Bastet Adler: Nozomi Nishida (JPN), Allison Sumrall (ENG)

Morrigan Phantasma: Rina Hidaka (JPN), Juliet Simmons (ENG)

Aion Galileo: Natsumi Hioka (JPN), Luci Christian (ENG)

So what do you guys think of this chapter?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd love to know what my audience are thinking.


	26. Saga 26: House of 1,000 Corpses Part 3

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 26: House of 1,000 Corpses Part 3**

* * *

 **Magic Knight Headquarters, Hospital Wing, Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

Four Magic Knights, against one rouge [Spatial Magic] user holding a fifth as his hostage.

Two of them were missing a limb (Yuno and Corrin), one of them just pissed their pants (Finral), and the last was exuding murderous intent (Jericho).

"Everyone..." Yuno spoke out. "Let's go!"

Jericho charges in with Finral and Yuno acted as supported.

Corrin meanwhile, was holding Yuno held upright as the four-leaf shot his [Wind Blade Shower] towards Valtos.

"Useless."

Valtos then opens multiple portals around himself to redirect the wind blades back towards Jericho's direction.

Finral opens a massive [Fallen Angel Gate] in front of the reflected blades, sending them elsewhere.

On where they went, well...

* * *

 **Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre, Checkpoint D, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

Charlotte was fending off against [#1: Carl] and his endless (and surprisingly lethal) [Barrier Magic], while the Five Divas were fending off [#9: Sawyer] and [#13: Catherine] along with the other thralls, and Captain Vangeance of the Golden Dawn was occupied on keeping the [Bird Box] from compacting the civilians inside the checkpoint.

For one, the utilization of his [Barrier Magic] was basically hair-pulling.

For one, it's not the durability of said barriers, but rather where they keep popping up.

Her thorn whips were being cut from the base from [Carl]'s [Antonomy] were popping out from her vines, severing from the inside out, rendering her attacks useless upon being cut.

Two, the directions that [Carl]'s attacks were coming from were completely _random_.

Frontal and area control were of no issue to her, but [Carl]'s attacks literally come out of nowhere.

So on top of dodging his attacks, she also has to predict where the next attack will come from.

She then feels a concentrations of mana building up inside her neck.

Charlotte quickly leans back, preventing the barrier from popping out from her throat.

[Carl], however, points his finger down, and flattens Charlotte with the barrier above her, pinning down her arms and legs with [Barrier Binding Magic: Waxwork].

The barrier then begins to slowly crush her like bug under a boot's heel as the barrier on top of her became more and more dense and heavy.

The Blue Rose Knight Captain struggles to free herself as her own bones began to break under the increasing pressure.

But just as she was about to be smothered to death, a portal opens behind [#1: Carl]'s back, sending out blades of wind towards the papal zombie, staking its back, causing its [Barrier Magic] to cease.

Charlotte the takes this opportunity to lash out her [Conqueror's Brandish] around [Carl]'s neck, and snaps it off of its socket.

The [Bird Box] around the Blue Rose Magic Knight Headquarters dissipates, and the citizens inside cheer.

"I'll watch the civilians." William stated. "Run wild, Queen of Thorns."

"Don't tell me what to do, Vangeance."

Charlotte then begins lashing her whip towards the hordes of the oncoming undead.

* * *

 **Back at the Medical Wing...**

* * *

"[Platinum Creation Magic: Star Finger]!"

An elongated finger of platinum unrelentingly speeds towards Valtos.

"Useless." Valtos then opens a portal right in front of him to redirect the finger elsewhere.

A portal then opens underneath Yuno, revealing [Star Finger] heading towards him.

"Oh no you don't!" Finral then fires a miniature [Fallen Angel Gate] towards the [Star Finger]'s trajectory.

Valtos smirks.

"Like I said." He stated. "It's useless."

A portal opens on Finral's gate, canceling it out.

Yuno quickly leans back from the [Star Finger], but the metal attack strikes his chin like an uppercut and sends him flying off of his feet along with Corrin.

"You alright, Yuno?" Corrin asked.

"I'm fine." Yuno answered.

"Not for long.

Serrated black discs of [Spatial Magic] then begin to run across the walls and ceilings.

"[Spatial Magic: Dimensional Cutters]."

"GET DOWN!"

Corrin tackles down Yuno, with [Sylph] flying above the black saw of death.

"What kind of sick bastard comes up with this crap-"

A portal opens in front of [Sylph], with Jericho's [Stardust Knuckle] barreling towards the fairy's comparatively puny frame.

Now normally, a [Spirit] can easily phase through physical attacks like the oncoming punch.

But that is only applied when said [Spirit] is at full power.

And Yuno lost a lot of blood and mana a week prior.

Ergo, it was a miracle itself that [Sylph] was even intact upon contact.

"[Sylph]!" Yuno cried out the tiny [Wind Spirit] was sent flying.

"So that's the famed [Wind Spirit: Sylph]..." Valtos mused as he kept redirecting Jericho's attacks with his portals. "... Pitiful."

"EYES ON ME, YOU BASTARD!" Jericho then continues punching towards Valtos.

Another portal absorbs the punch and redirected it towards Corrin.

The chestnut-haired girl dodges the punch over her nose.

"FINRAL!" Corrin cried out.

"I KNOW!" He cried back. "BUT MY [Spatial Magic] CAN'T KEEP UP WITH HIS!"

Finral's [Fallen Angel Gate] can only opened for so long so fast compared to Valtos's own.

 _"Dammit!"_ Finral cursed. _"I can't keep up with his speed! At this rate..."_

He then catches eye of Luck's cot slowly descending deeper into Valtos's portal.

 _"At this rate..."_

The image of Luck being never seen again begins to crawl into his mind.

 _"... NO!"_

Two bright orbs of [Spatial Magic] form in his hands.

"I WON'T LET YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

A new spell is inscribed into Finral's Grimoire.

"[Spatial Magic: Fallen Angel Wingbeat]!"

A blast of green mana shoots towards one of the portals opening up in front of Jericho's attacks.

The portal dissipates upon being hit by [Fallen Angel Wingbeat].

"HOW'S THAT!?" Finral shouted upon him besting Valtos.

"Fool."

A portal opens behind Valtos as escape.

"You'll never hit me." Valtos declared. "You're all putty in my fingers under my [Spatial Magic]."

Finral smiles.

Valtos takes notice, and sees that his escape plan was foiled by another [Fallen Angel Wingbeat].

Valtos looks back, and sees [Stardust Knuckle] speed towards his face.

"... Oh dear."

 **"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"**

Jericho then _speeds_ up his barrage.

 **"CHEEEESSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

Jericho pitches Valtos up and continues his barrage.

 **"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA** **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"**

As Valtos floated midair in a messy heap, Jericho sharply inhales in a deep breath of air before one, final.

 **"OOOOOOOOOOORRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**

The platinum gauntlet digs into Valto's entire face, sending him flying towards the windows, breaking _every single panel of glass_ upon impact.

"Hahh... Hahh... Hahh..." Jericho breathed out. "Fuck you... black-eyed peas."

"... Really?" Corrin pointed out.

"... Sorry. Tired."

Jericho then takes a knee as the other three mages come running towards him.

"So..." Finral stated. "What now?"

It's too dangerous staying one place." Corrin pointed out. "We need to keep Luck moving."

"[Sylph]!" Yuno cried out. "Where are you!?"

A cough was heard.

"... Over... here..."

The weak voice came from the vase.

Finral brings the vase towards Yuno.

"[Sylph]!" Yuno cried out as he scooped the bruised [Wind Spirit] from the flowerpot.

"Need... to go back... inside..."

Yuno's grimoire then opens on its own, and [Sylph] floats back inside of its pages.

"... I think it's recovering." Jericho stated. "Anyway, someone take the cot and move. Yuno, sit next to Luck. Finral, make sure that the life support is still on him, and Corrin, you mind pulling the trolley with me?"

"No questions here." Yuno stated.

"I keep an eye out." Finral replied.

"Leave it to me." Corrin answered.

The four then drive the cot out of the ward and into the hallways.

* * *

 **Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre, Checkpoint B, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

The Vermilion siblings were still fighting while balancing to make sure that the civilians are still not bit.

"MAN, THESE ASSHOLES ARE A PAIN IN THE ASS!" Mereoleona roared out. "STOP DODGING ALREADY!"

[#8 Heath] was scaling the walls like a leopard in treetops, deliberately targeting civilians with its [Ice Magic] projectiles, now focusing on killing civilians rather then turning them into the undead on the spot.

"I'LL HANDLE THE WOLF!" Fuegoleon roared out. "YOU KEEP THE OTHER REVENANTS AT BAY!"

"YOU BETTER NOT FALL BEHIND, GOT IT!?" Mereoleona shouted out.

She then heads where Leopold was at, with [#10 Seth] wailing away at the Crimson Lion King Knight with its [Titan Punches] and [Titan Boots] against his [Lion Tamer's Whip].

"LEOPOLD!" Mereoleona roared out. "YOU ALIVE!?"

"AND KICKING-"

Leopold was then kicked to the other side of the plaza.

[#10: Seth] then pounces upon the downed Leopold.

Mereoleona thinks about intervening, but [#3: David] and [#7: Kerry] catches her attention.

[#8: Seth]'s [Titan Punch] lands where Leopold was at.

Mereoleona however, was not fazed in the slightest.

"A weak-ass punch like that ain't gonna kill Leopold." Mereoleona grinned.

From the dust, [Titan Punch] landed next to Leopold's head.

... With his arm punched through [#8: Seth]'s stomach, along with the [Omega Parasite].

"Gotcha bitch."

The [Earth Magic Specialist] then burst into flames along with the worm, kill it.

"One down..." Leopold snarled.

He then stomps on the ground, cracking the stone panels.

"... AND THE REST TO GO!" Leopold roared out. "SIS! SAVE ONE FOR ME!"

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" She roared out. "AND IT'S MEREOLEONA TO YOU, JACKASS!"

She then slash-kicks [#3: David]'s stomach open, burning the worms crawling inside of its stomach, killing it.

Leopold then dashes towards [#7: Kerry], parrying its barrage of [Emerald Splash] and [Verdiant Bolts] with his own [Fire Magic], and dodging its [Green Webbing] that was aimed at his feet.

"I KNOW ALL OF YOUR MOVES NOW!" Leopold roared out as his whole body began to emit flames. "NOW CHOKE ON MINE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"OI!" Mereoleona roared out while finally catching [#8: Heath] with her [Leo Palma]. "HERE'S ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD!"

Leopold roars out louder as he begins to pick up speed with Kerry and Heath now all lined up.

He then takes into the air with a _flying kick_.

 **"[Fire Magic: Leo Rugiens Capiensque Calcitrant Meteorum]!"**

The Young Lion rips through the two of them like a hot knife through a block of butter.

Leopold appears on the other side, with the two [Specialists] now having holes once where their chests were.

The flames around Leopold peter out as the two behind him disintegrate.

"HELL YEAH!" Leopold roared out in triumph.

A massive wave of fire from both Mereoleona and Fuegoleon eradicate the remaining thralls around Checkpoint B.

"And that's the last of them..." Fugeoleon muttered. "MEREOLEONA! HOW IS IT ON YOUR END!?"

"NOW ASHES BENEATH MY FEET!" She cackled out. "ALRIGHT YOU BASTARDS! LET'S GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE! REMAIN CALM AND FOLLOW OUR INSTRUCTIONS!"

The civilians then hustle in a orderly fashion towards the Clover Castle.

"KEEP THE LINE MOVING! MAKE SURE NO ONE GETS LEFT BEHIND-"

A _glimmer_ shone from a distance from the corner of Leopold's eye.

"BIG BRO, LOOK OUT-"

A massive ray of lights descends upon the evacuees, disintegrating them in an _instant_.

"BIG BRO! MEREOLEONA!" Leopold cried out.

A pile of burnt rubble bursts open, with Mereoleona and a few civilians emerging from the pile.

"It'll take more than that to kill me..." She grimaced with her rib bleeding. "More importantly, where's that idiot-"

Both of the Vermillion siblings find their eldest alive.

... Minus one arm.

"BIG BRO!" Leopold shouted out while running towards him.

"I'm fine..." He breathed out. "... But... the civilians-"

He then coughs out for a moment before passing out.

"Shit." Mereoleona bit out while she tore a stitch of cloth from her cape. "Don't you fucking dare dying on me you son of a bitch, YOU HEAR ME!?" She roared out as she was applying first-aid.

Leopold then looks around in hopes of finding other civilians that are still alive from that bombardment of light.

"Shit..." He panicked. "They're all gone..."

He then spots another ray of light being fired towards elsewhere.

An explosion was heard and seen at the same spot where the ray of light struck at.

"... That was Checkpoint A." Leopold muttered out.

"Tch, about time the enemy has gotten serious." Mereoleona spat out.

* * *

 **Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre Outskirts, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

"About damn time." Sally pointed out. "... So what got you all riled up?"

"Like I said earlier." Rades grimaced. "I'm finishing this _today_."

Behind Rades was a bandaged figure cloaked in an ornate white robes, with a white veil with a single eye symbol over its face.

"[#0: Licht]..." Rades snarled out. "... Kill every last ONE OF THEM!"

[#0: Licht] then charges a ray of light on its eye symbol on its veil.

[Light Magic: Divine Ray of Judgement] fires upon Quatre.

Flames and explosions were heard behind the walls of the capital.

"... I can hear their screaming and I love it." Rades licked his lips.

A portal opens behind Rades, with Valtos thrown out of his own magic.

"Dude, what the fuck happened to your face?" Rades asked.

Valtos tried to mumble out something, but his words were stifled by his broken jaw and bumps.

"... I got it." Sally sighed out. "[Gel Recovery Magic: Soothing Axolotl Gel]."

A bulb of mint-green gel forms onto her hand.

"Here. Drink this." Sally instructed.

Valtos sips on the bulb of gel through his puffy lips, and upon ingestion, his bumps and broken bones begin to mend themselves back together, with the sounds of his bones popping back together in a sickening crunch and snap.

"... Thanks." Valtos thanked. "By the way, I found someone of my interest."

"Talk to me." Sally asked.

"His mana was like an undying ember, desperately trying to light itself back into a bonfire." Valtos stated. "Even with his soul absent from his battered body, the mana was still present."

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Rades asked.

"I left in the first place for that exact reason." Valtos grinned. "Permission to go back to the front?"

"Before you go..." Sally then opens her grimoire. "[Gel Creation Magic: Chameleon Cream]!"

A glob of pearl-white gel slathers all over Valtos's body, slowly turning his whole body transparent.

"There." She stated. "This should hide your entire presence for about ten minutes. Now off you go."

Valtos then then jumps into his portal, with no one seeing him.

"... So how's Crowley doing?" Sally asked.

"Dunno, don't care, gonna get back to burning down the capital." Rades stated in an apathetic tone.

* * *

 **Magic Knight Headquarters, Hospital Wing, Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

The four fresh Magic Knights were rolling Luck's cot down the hallway.

Four were keeping vigil around the halls, looking out for around the potential chance for running into the black-eyed mage once more.

"Careful!" Jericho stated. "He can pop up just about anywhere!"

The four Magic Knights remain vigilant, not willing to lose Luck for the second time around.

Jericho was watching forward, Yuno was watching the left, Corrin was scouting the right, and Finral was watching the rear and Luck's cot.

Then the four of them hear a massive explosion from the outside.

"... Holy shit." Corrin whispered out. "... Was that just me, or did I just see about a quarter of of Quatre go up in flames!?"

"It's not safe here to keep him here." Finral spoke out. "We need to take him elsewhere, and fast."

Finral then opens a [Fallen Angel Gate] leading towards the Black Bull's Base at the Common Realm.

"THIS WAY, HURRY!"

They drive the cot into the portal leading back towards home base.

"WE MADE IT!" Finral cried out after their feet touched the brick floorings of his home base. "WE MADE IT-"

Finral catches himself upon seeing that Luck was _gone_ from his cot.

"LUCK!" Finral cried out. "LUCK! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

As the others begin to scramble around to look for him, Valtos was where Luck was still at, but at the same time, not really.

[Spatial Magic: Parallel Plot]. A magic that allow the user to remain in two different realities at the same time, but one allows the user to exist as a sort of an undetectable specter, while the other allows the user to exist in another realm where no one but the user and target exists.

It was Valto's ultimate spell, which he originally planned to use with his Lord Licht to kill Fuegoleon, but after his passing, he was forced to revise his plan after shelving it, and taking it out and reworking it into his current plan.

 _"Either way, my job's almost done."_ Valtos thought. _"All I need to do is to make sure that I escape-"_

A table flies towards his head. Valtos ducks out of its way.

 _"... Oh dear."_ Valtos thought. _"I thought I forgot something..."_

The thing he forgot?

[Parallel Plot] does makes him completely invulnerable, but the other world can affect the other, such as other objects flying towards him.

They can't hurt him, with the emphasis on "they".

It didn't mention anything about "other objects", and vise-versa.

 _"Okay."_ Valtos thought. _"As long I don't bump into anything, I should be able to..."_

He then realizes that the front door was shut.

 _"... Really didn't think this through."_ Valtos thought.

Normally, he would just open up a portal and be done with it, but [Parallel Plot] was a one-way-in and one-way-out deal.

Basically, he opens a portal, he can only transport himself back into where he was at (i.e., certain death).

 _"... This could not get any worse-"_

A beam of light runs through the stone halls of the Black Bulls Base, sending everyone (in both dimensions) flying.

 _"Rades, you damned idiot..."_ Valtos cursed internally.

At the first reality, the Black Bulls and Corrin were reeling.

"Holy shit, that almost fried us..." Corrin heaved out.

"EVERYONE OKAY!?" Jericho asked.

"... Still alive." Finral groaned out.

"Same here..." Yuno moaned out.

*THUD*

Behind the cloud of dust, a rectangle was seen through the cloak.

Once the dust clears, it reveals a restroom stall door, without the rest of the stall.

*CRRRRRREEEEEEAK*

*THUD*

... Captain Yami was seen, with his pants down to his ankles, and emitting a murderous intent.

"... Oh shit." Corrin whispered out in horror. "We've awakened 'The Titan'."

"Captain Yami, can you explain to all of us on what you're doing here?" Jericho asked. "Last we saw you, you were at the Magic Knight Headquarters-"

 **"Finral took me here after I left you two after the decoration."** Captain Yami stated. **"More importantly..."**

He draws his katana and throws it at where Luck's cot was, nearly hitting Valtos's crotch in the parallel dimension.

 **"The enemy is right there."** Yami pointed towards where the sword was. **"But magic can't hit him, but non-organic physical objects will."**

The Captain was perfectly able to see Valtos run off with Luck in tow with his ki-enhanced vision.

Yami then turns his head towards Yuno.

 **"Yuno."** The Captain order. **"I want my katana back afterwards. Understood?"**

"Y-Yes Captain!"

Jericho then picks the footless Yuno up into his arms as Yuno plucks out the katana from the cot. The others then grab whatever they can find to use as their stand-in for their magic.

Finral grabs a broomstick. Corrin digs through the cupboards to find a box of spare nails.

"Is the base gonna be okay?" Corrin asked Jericho.

"Don't worry." Jericho replied. "The base literally fixes by itself. Though never figured out why..."

* * *

 **Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre, Checkpoint D, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

Charlotte was simply devastated.

Checkpoint D was completely disintegrated along with the survivors in it.

The Magic Knights were still alive, but so are the remaining [Specialists].

"Whoever is controlling these revenants, it knows how control the battlefield flawlessly..." Charlotte commented. "It's not out to kill the Magic Knights, it's out to kill everyone in order for them to multiply in numbers..."

[#9: Sawyer], with all of its eight arms, was holding off all Five Divas with its sewing needles, staple guns, sewing threads, and its bronze bell, thrashing and flailing about with its arms and spider-like mobility, that not even Captain Vangeance's [World Tree Magic] can even catch it.

Not helping the fact that the undead thralls were still sprawing about, and maiming everyone else that were still around and (partially) kicking.

The situation was becoming more dire, as before, the revantents were either flat-out ignoring the Magic Knights, or been extremely picky for their selection of which Magic Knights that they should convert.

i.e., _Them_.

"Dammit." Charlotte cursed as laid low the last of her former Blue Rose Knight. "You want your grubby hands on me?"

Her [Conqueror's Brandish] the continues to lash out towards the zombies.

"THEN OVER MY DEAD BODY, YOU PIECES OF SHIT!"

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** This one has been on the backburner for a good while now.

I mean, with other shit going on both online and IRL, not to mention, the Black Clover fandom in FanFiction has been rather... slow, as of late.

I dunno, I want more traffic for all of my fics, but nowadays, I feel like my ROTSH-SI-fic has been syphoning all of my traffic as of late.

Either way, please continue to support this fic by leaving a comment or a review, for I'd love to hear what my audience has to say!

Oh and P.S., I'm changing Apocrypha's reading format in the next Saga to fit in with more of my latest content.

The change will occur around the time after this Saga has been uploaded.


	27. Saga 27: House of 1,000 Corpses Finale

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 27: House of 1,000 Corpses (Finale)**

* * *

 **Black Bull's Base Outskirts, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

In [Parallel Plot], Valtos was running with Luck along with his IV-equipment.

 _"... In hindsight, this is easily the most reckless I've been, but at this point, the ship has already sailed."_ Valtos thought.

The black-eyed mage just keeps running through the forest, now ripping out the IV-tubes on the boy's arms.

"To hell with it, I'll just let Sally deal with you later..." Valtos stated. "... At this rate, I should be safe-"

A flying nail grazes his cheek.

"... Crap."

Valtos bites down on this pain, and continues running.

Outside of [Parallel Plot], Corrin heads towards where her [Psychic Railgun]-fired nail shot at.

She then pulls out the nail staked into a tree.

"... It's blood." Corrin stated. "He's not that far off. Jericho, can you track him down with the scent of blood?"

"I'm no bloodhound, Corrin." Jericho pointed out.

"Then use your ki, or whatever it is!" She flustered out.

Jericho then sniffs the blood on the nail and remembers the scent.

"... That way." Jericho pointed towards his right.

The four then dash through the woods, with Jericho following the scent of spilled blood.

At the other side, Valtos takes notice of his blood attracting his pursuers.

"Dammit." He bit out under his breath. "If I bleed too much here, then [Parallel Plot] will be nixed upon me being rewritten back into reality, and they'll get me killed!"

He then looks back at the comatose boy.

"... I wonder if this'll work."

He then draws out a small utility knife and cuts the boy's palm open.

He then scatters the blood towards his opposite direction.

He then sees the four head towards the boy's blood.

 _"Just keep running, Valtos."_ He thought as he picked up his pace. _"Keep running while they're distracted. From the moment that they lose you, teleport out of here, no questions."_

Outside, Jericho begins to panic.

"Crap." He breathed out. "We're going the wrong way!"

"What!?" Finral cried out. "Then who's blood is it!?"

"... Either he used his own blood and scattered it elsewhere to throw my ki off, or..."

The horrific realization that the kidnapper is using _Luck's_ blood to throw his scent off sweeps across everyone's minds.

"... Other way, now!"

The four then continue running, with Corrin priming another nail between her fingers and Yuno tightening his grip around Captain Yami's katana.

* * *

 **Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

Even though the undead were wiped off the streets of Quatre, the Magic Knights scattered all over were _not f_ aring any better.

Constant bombardments of [Light Magic] raining down their heads, the remaining [Specialists] all suddenly boosted in performance, and to the entire capital city set ablaze, the critical hour draws near.

At the Blue Rose Knights Headquarters, [#9: Sawyer] and [#13: Catherine] were still rampaging and causing chaos by their ability to transform people into the undead thralls.

The Five Divas and Captain Vangeance were still trying to pin down the erratic [Iron Magic Specialist] hopping between roots and buildings alike with agile grace, and Charlotte was barely grazing the [Ash Magic Specialist] with her [Thorn Magic], the smooth round surface of the cauldron around its lower torso not helping matters of dragging it back down to the earth.

Elsewhere, the more or less were happening, with varying outcomes.

The (remaining) Silva siblings were fighting [#11: Forest; Tree Magic Specialist] and [#12 Lenny; Water Magic Specialist], in a plaza-turned marsh-wetland, filled to the brim with corpses of twice-killed civilians (in which they had no qualms of doing so), and the three mages, in this battle of attrition, were going nowhere.

"HURRY UP COME OUT, YOU DAMN COWARDS!" Solid barked out in annoyance as he shot his [Water Magic: Slashing Sea Serpents] haphazardly at the uprooted trees. "COME OUT ALREADY SO I CAN RIP YOU HACKS APART!"

His cries were met with no fanfare.

"Solid, stop wasting your breath." Nozel stated.

"Tch, they're playing us for fools..." Nebra bit out at this irony. "Three wonders why we haven't torn this whole forest down in an instant..."

"That's what the enemy wants." Nozel coolly pointed out. "They deliberately trapped us in these wetlands, these trees sapping away out mana every time we us magic, these waters that allow the trees to grow back in an instant, simply put, they're stalling."

"FOR WHAT!?" Solid panicked out.

"... Another bombardment of [Light Magic], perhaps." Nozel stated.

"So we're like rats in a maze. Lovely." Nebra spat out. "So, eldest brother, any plans?"

The Captain of the Silver Eagles calmy observes his surroundings and thinks of a plan of attack.

 _"They're not actively attacking us. Only moving when we're moving."_ He thought. _"... What if I formulate a passive plan of offense to combat this little deathtrap?"_

He looks around his surrounding one more time.

 _"... Fuegoleon, I utterly refuse to credit you for implementing this mindset into my after all these years, but you know what?"_

He then activates his [Mana Skin] at its lowest output, both to preserve his mana, but still be able to traverse the forest with relative ease.

 _"... For once, I'll acknowledge your influence as positive."_

"[Mana Skin]." Nozel ordered. "Set it at the lowest setting possible."

The two other siblings then do as they're ordered.

"Now what?" Nebra spoke out.

"We hunt them down." Nozel stated. "Remember, no fancy tricks or anything too complex. Just follow my lead, and we'll get out of this mess."

As the three begin to move, the trees around them begin to shift around and morph into different shapes and forms.

[Tree Creation Magic: Hydra Growths] begins to snake out towards the three.

"Avoid combat!" Nozel stated. "We can't afford to waste mana here!"

Reluctantly, the two other siblings ignore the growths coming towards them.

 _"Where are they?"_ Nozel thought. _"Just where can those two zombies be hiding?"_

He then sharpens his sense and begins trace the mana flow from the freshly-formed wetlands.

"... A _web_?" He muttered as he began to see around whole area's flow of mana being like a spider's web.

He then spots the sources, both of them moving separately and quickly increasing their distance from each other.

"They're not making this easy for us..." Nozel bit out. "Nebra! Solid! You two head towards the left and go after the [Tree Magic] user!"

"Tch, taking the glory for yourself..." Solid muttered as he followed Nebra.

Solid then heads towards the right, where he then sees the tree's roots pierce into dead bodies, reanimating the mangled corpses of the former Clover Kingdom's citizens once more.

"... Is there no limit to your depravity!?" Nozel snarled out.

He then spots [#12: Lenny], a misshapen and hunchbacked and white-robed revenant carrying a large tank of water nailed into its back, its arms being iron hose nozzles, the cloth and rubber hosing coming out of its shoulders and connected to the tank, its legs being a bizarre mix of propellers and webbed feet, its torso was bloated and leaking in some parts, as if it was a ragged water balloon, and its head wasn't even a head, but rather, a giant metal contraption that served as its pressure valve and gauge, with a single, unblinking "eye" at the gauge needle's axis.

"So there are no limits to your master's twisted imagination, defiling your body to this extent..." Nozel grimaced as he opened his grimoire. "... I'll make this painless, if to end your suffering."

 **"[Mercury Creation Magic: Silver Wing Lancer]!"**

A silver spear with an eagle-like spearhead composed of liquid metal forms in front of himself.

But as Nozel prepares his attack, the [Gluttonous Saplings] around him begin to quickly sap his mana, targeting the mana's output as their point of breach, lapsing his concentration, and forcing him to readjust his aim caused by his blurring vision.

Meanwhile, [#12: Lenny] casts [Water Creation Magic: Hydro Bunker], a pair of pile bunker rods formed from heavily-pressurized water were spouting out of his nozzle-like arms, ready to fire at the Captain.

Both fire at each other.

[Silver Wing Lancer] messily cleaves through the revenant's mismatched body, ripping and mangling it into pieces of decayed flesh and rusted plumbing upon impact of the silver spear.

However, the aquatic nails hit their mark.

Mainly, one of them rips off Nozel's _entire left arm_ , the other reaped through the horde of the reanimated thralls trying to ambush him from the behind.

In a show of "pyrrhic victory", Nozel roars out in agony, the blood from his left stump, dying the now-slowly-sinking waters around his ankles _red_.

"DAMMIT!" He roared out as he desperately tried to stem the flow with his own Magic Knight Robes, for his [Mercury Magic], powerful as it is, cannot be used for healing.

... Mainly due to the fact that [Mercury Magic] isn't branched from [Water Magic] or [Steel Magic], but due to the fact that [Mercury Magic] was _passively_ part- _[Poison Magic]_.

And no, only pure-[Poison Magic] can heal, never partial.

"... Those better make it through." He gritted out as he stumbled around the draining wetlands. "At least these trees will dry up from the lack of water..."

As the trees begin to slowly wither around him, Nozel slowly makes his way through the undead with his magic doing the rest of the legwork for him.

Silver tendrils tipped with blades orbited around the Silver Eagle's Captain, tearing asunder any thrall that dares to come close.

Elsewhere in the dying wetlands, Nebra and Solid were fending off against [#11: Forest], and despite the depleting water supply, its [Tree Magic] did not drop in power.

 _Durability_ however, was steadily being proven to be getting stale over time, as the [Tree Magic]'s wood was now becoming more stiff and dry to the touch.

"What's wrong!? Thirsty!?" Solid barked out at the gradually-slowing revenant. "THEN COME AND GET SOME!"

Solid's [Water Magic] then begin to pick up speed.

"[Water Magic: Scylla Shredder]!"

A vortex of razor-sharp water quickly closes into the [Specialist].

[#11: Forest] tries to absorb the water with its [Tree Binding Magic: Tupelo Trap], but the aquatic blades rend through the roots before the water can be absorbed.

As Solid cackles triumphantly, Nebra sneaks in an attack of her own.

"Now now, dear brother..." She spoke out. "... Please do share the kill."

She then opens her grimoire as mist begins to pour out its pages.

"[Mist Magic: Vorpal Vapors]!"

The mist particles around [#11: Forest] suddenly surrounded by numerous floating daggers, all of them closing in onto the now-hapless zombie as it becomes a pincushion for her white daggers.

"Too easy." She scoffed.

The trees around them begin to crumble into sawdust.

The siblings then see their eldest missing an arm.

"... Where the hell's the rest of you?" Solid asked in a snide tone.

"Quiet." Nozel snarled back as his [Silver Talons] shredded the remaining thralls behind him.

Without a word, the three make their way out of the plaza, leaving the civilians that they once protected in a bloody mess, without batting an eye.

At the Blue Rose Knight Headquarters, the situation was already hopeless, due to the fact that all of the civilians that they were supposed to protect were completely disintegrated from the [Light Magic] bombardment.

Even then, the six Blue Rose Knights and the Golden Dawn's Captain were still fighting...

... If the enemy would just hold still.

"Slippery bastard, aren't ya?" Bastet growled out as her [Ursa Major] was too slow to catch up with [#9: Sawyer]'s erratic movements.

"Even I have to admit, this is starting to test my patience." Aion sighed out. "At least its throwing needles and staplers traveled straight towards me..."

"They say that an artist's work reflects the artist's mind, but I'm starting to wonder if this spider-monkey had us all fooled." Papillon muttered.

"Personally~, I think he just has a really bad taste in aesthetics~!" Morrigan spoke out in a singsong tone.

Upon Morrigan saying that, [#9: Sawyer] then begins to... throw a _tantrum_.

 **"... At least it stopped running away."** Masquerade stated.

[#9: Sawyer] then lets out a demented howl right before it dashes towards Morrigan, flying in the air, using Captain Vangeance's [World Tree Magic] as a boost.

 **"IT'S HEADING TOWARDS YOUR WAY, MORRIGAN!"**

The spider-monkey zombie speedly crawls towards the witch.

William's [World Tree Magic] then begins to shoot numerous roots towards the revenant's ankle, and as it notices it for a split second that the roots were wrapping around its feet, [#9: Sawyer] then slashes its feet off of its ankles, and throws two giant sewing needles towards the flying witch as a last-ditch effort to kill her.

"Useless."

Morrigan then opens her grimoire.

"[Dark Magic: Dark Burning]."

A burst of [Dark Magic] catches the needles on fire, vaporizing them.

The pitch-black flames then begin to rapidly travel down the hidden threads around the needle's eyes, eventually causing the corpse's spool of iron thread to catch fire, forcing it ditch it.

The now-legless zombie then uses its numerous arms as legs, by ripping them off and stapling them on its stumps that where its feet were once at.

Around its head, a giant, gravel-skinned hand clutches its whole head like a ball.

 **"[Mask Magic: Unknown Object]."**

The multi-armed zombie then begins to flail in panic.

[#9: Sawyer] then swings its bell behind itself.

The iron bell bends against the stone-like surface of Masquerade's [Unknown Object] form.

With all in vain, all this spider-monkey of a zombie can do, was utter out a single note of a _hoarse_ and _muted_ laughter behind its facial wrappings.

... Right before its head was crushed between Masquerade's rocky mitts like a rotten fruit.

 **"And that's that."** Masquerade stated.

The Five Divas then see Captain Charlotte going after [#13: Catherine] on the rooftops.

"... Let's finish this with utmost haste." Aion stated.

"I am growing rather ill-mannered of this affair, so yes. Let us end this." Captain Vangeance stated.

The two different Magic Knight squads go separate directions.

"Happy hunting, fellow knights." The Golden Dawn Captain stated.

The Five Divas salute back before heading towards the rooftops.

* * *

 **Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre Outskirts, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

Outside of Quatre's walls, the fight between the Wizard King and "The Unfortunate" was still raging on.

Both time and fate were being broken against each other, as creation and extinction occurred simultaneously amidst this clash of might and will.

"You proven yourself to be rather persistent, Crowley." Julius commented.

"And I guess you weren't slacking after all these years, eh Julie?" Crowley spat out while kicking a once-extinct animal aside.

"Heavens no." The Wizard King gasped out in sarcastic disbelief. "Just because I hate paperwork doesn't mean that I slack."

"In hindsight, I was hoping that you would atrophy from the sheer amount of paperwork from your given station, just like the other nobles in our kingdom." Crowley pointed out while biting a chunk off an once-extinct lizard.

"Too bad, I'm not like the others." Julius replied with a smile.

"As expected..." Crowley sighed out after swallowing the half-eaten lizard. "... Back to killing you, then."

[Time Magic] and [Fate Magic] begin to clash ceaselessly once again.

[Chronostasis] was broken with [Rewrite], [Rewrite] was halted by [Chronostasis], the endless loop of clashing magic that rent the very earth around them asunder.

And _neither_ moved an inch from the spot where they stood.

Outside of that instant-death radius, Rades and Sally both assess their situations regarding Quatre's interiors.

"Shit..." Rades grumbled as he scratched his head. "... My [Specialists] are starting to get their asses handed, with more than half of them torn to shreds!"

"You can still put them back together, right?" Sally stated.

"Four of them are reduced to ashes, Sally." Rades deadpanned. "I would love to figure out how to reassemble things post-cremation."

"... Was that a challenge?" Sally asked.

"Eh, thought you'd say that." Rades stated as two bloated zombies came running towards him.

He then takes out a trench knife and cuts one of their bellies open, spilling out a pile of ash from the gash.

"I had those two collect their ashes after the initial bombardment." Rades stated. "... Shut up, I'm being considerate." He then shudders afterwards.

"Aww. How sweet, coming from _you_." Sally stated as her [Sticky Salamander] collected the ashes. "I'll be sure to notify you when I'm done fixing them!"

"Now then..." Rades sighed out as he pour what little remaining mana he had left into [#0: Licht]. "... Time to end this with a really, big, burning, _bang_."

[#0: Licht] then begins to charge up its strongest attack, **[Light Magic: Scorching Light of Calamity]** , which is basically [Divine Ray of Judgment], if it forgoes precision accuracy for sheer area coverage.

Said coverage is _more_ than enough to turn the whole capital city into a field of glass and scorched earth.

"I've been charging this sonofabitch between bombardments, so this better damn work..." Rades gnawed his thumbnail in anticipation. "... Because I'm finishing this shit _today_."

* * *

 **Black Bull's Base Outskirts, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

Both sides of the chase were now practically running in circles at this point.

Inside [Parallel Plot], Valtos was thinking of ditching the boy inside this parallel reality to rot just so that he can escape without hindrance, but due to one of the Black Bulls having a nose of a bloodhound (Valtos even gone far as to dress himself in camouflage to blend his scent with the surroundings), and the fact that navigating this godforsaken forest has proven to be a chore of itself, due to the fact that he seems to be running in circles (set a pile of pebbles near a bloodstained tree, pile is now about three inches tall now).

The other side wasn't faring any better, however.

Jericho was now on the verge of exhaustion, even without Yuno in his arms (Finral's piggybacking him right now), Corrin already vomited twice from overexertion, and Yuno's guilt was already on par with his already internal guilt of losing _Asta_.

Only Finral was (slightly) nonplussed of this gripe.

"... Where... the hell... is *urp*-"

Corrin then vomits on the dirt once again.

"... I don't know." Finral replied. "But I think we've been running in circles."

The realization then hits all of them.

"... What the fuck." Corrin heaved out. "Just what the hell is this kind of forest!?"

Yuno then begins to look around the forest for any traces of the black-eyed mage and where could he be at.

He then begins to notice that the trees around them were slightly _moving_.

 _"... Now that I think about it."_ Yuno thought. _"Jericho did mention that the base fixes all of its damages on its own..."_

He then notices that the tree next to him was at a different spot where it was at previously.

 _"... Can it also said for the whole forest as well?"_

He then pokes one of the trees with Captain Yami's katana.

A cut was formed on the bark, which was then mended a few seconds later.

"Guys." Yuno spoke out. "I think I have a plan."

"Let's hear it then." Finral stated as the four went back on trail.

"I've noticed something about this forest." The youth stated. "The mana flow around here, I get the feeling that it's stemming from the base itself."

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Corrin pointed out. "And no, I don't want to hear that you're not thinking straight because you're tired, for you don't even have a complete set of feet to run with!"

"... I think this forest has a mind of its own." Yuno pointed out. "It might actually why we're walking in circles as well."

"... Now that you mention it, I think that's the same tree that we passed by like for... the _fifth_ time." Jericho pointed out towards the bloodstained tree where Corrin's nail struck at.

"So... does that mean... the enemy... got away?" Corrin heaved out.

"No." Yuno answered. "Quite the opposite, actually."

"... So black-eyes is just as lost as we are." Finral pointed out. "You think he stopped running as well and just gone into hiding?"

"Perhaps." Jericho added. "I read in a certain text regarding battlefield behaviors, that when a soldier is lost behind enemy lines, then camouflage is usually the course of option."

"Okay. Then where's he hiding?" Corrin asked.

"In a forest setting, mud and leaves are abundant, so those will be good materials to act as a shroud. And since he's hidden away into another reality where we can't affect him with magic or vise-versa, but physical objects like the Captain's katana and Corrin's nails can still hit him, if we could find him in the first place. So somewhere we can't see him directly..."

Jericho's eyes then look at the roots beneath the trees, where he then sees hollows under it.

Big enough to fit a person under it.

"... Check underneath every tree roots." Jericho stated. "Dark, damp, void of light, numerous in locations, and less likely to see it straight ahead, it's the perfect hiding spot."

Nothing more was said as they begin to uproot every single tree around them, either with magic or physical strength.

Time passes as the four continue to search beneath every tree root that they can find.

"No." Jericho sighed after uprooting another tree and failing to touch anything with Finral's borrowed shovel.

Corrin began ricocheting her nails inside every hollow, and recalling them back with her [Magnet Magic], moving onto the next tree after marking the bark with an "x" to indicate that no one was there.

As for Yuno and Finral, Finral uses his [Spatial Magic] to open a portal into the hollow, with Yuno inserting the katana into the portal to sweep out anything underneath.

Around his eighth attempt, the katana draws blood.

 _Human_ blood.

"I FOUND HIM!" Yuno cried out towards the others.

Inside [Parallel Plot], Valtos was holding onto his gouged left eye, breathing heavily as he was slowly being rewritten back into reality with his hostage.

"DAMMIT!" He roared out. "FUCK!"

[Parallel Plot] was now nixed and both Valtos and Luck were rewritten back into reality as the tree above them was uprooted.

"Don't even try anything, you son of a bitch." Corrin snarled out with her [Psychic Railgun] primed and pressed against Valto's head. "I have a quicker draw then your little escape tricks."

The four finally have cornered the now-monoeye mage.

"It's over, you bastard." Yuno snarled out as he pointed the katana's blade at his remaining eye. "Hand over Luck, or die."

* * *

 **Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre Outskirts, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

Julius and Crowley weren't letting up with their mutual assaults, all the while, ripping the fabric of spacetime with their magic.

Julius tries to accelerate Crowley's age with his [Chrono Grigora], but Crowley's [Rewrite] writes the spell off of his person.

"What's wrong, Julie?" Crowley huffed out. "Old age finally catching up to ya?"

"I'm not so old to consider myself obsolete, Crowley." Julius calmly replied. "In fact, you look a lot worse than me back during puberty."

"Have you been to the Spade Kingdom? Or anyone within this country?" Crowley asked. "... At all?"

"Are you trying steer the conversation elsewhere?" Julius asked. "If you wish to continue with something else, then we can go back to fighting."

Julius then notices a bundle of mana being concentrated in large quantities within one area.

"What the-"

Something then hits Julius's eye.

His passive spell, [Time Creation Magic: Chrono Apomónosi], forms a barrier-like properties that prevents all incoming projectiles, both magical and physical, from making contact with him via accelerating their time period to the point where they passed too much time to make any effects.

A thrown stone can turn into dust upon contact with him, but just in case, he wears protective contact lenses to protect his eyes from irritation.

But however, this wasn't an ordinary projectile that wasn't designed to harm physically.

From the moment that it's eggshell-like exterior hit Julius's face, a putrid scent of rotten fish and foreign spices and mustard yellow fumes spewed from the cracks.

"A _STINK BOMB_!?" Julius cried out as his unprotected nose were subjected to this dizzying scent.

"RADES!" Crowley cried out. "POINT #0 TOWARDS ME!"

"WHAT ABOUT THE KINGDOM!?" Rades protested.

"NOW IS THE TIME TO TAKE OUT THE WIZARD KING!" He barked back. "IT'S NOW OR NEVER!"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO SOONER!?"

The concentrated mana was now pointing towards _Julius_.

 **"YOU AND THE REST OF THIS KINGDOM CAN ALL SHARE A GRAVE, JULIUS NOVACHRONO!"** Rades screeched out. **"[#0: Licht]..."**

 **"[Light Magic: Scorching Light of Calamity]."**

A tangling web of searing light was shot towards the Wizard King.

 _"Dammit!"_ Julius thought as the heat slowly grew around him. _"I can't see how there are of those [Light Magic], so I dunno how much of my [Time Magic] I might use! And knowing Crowley, he might have a backup plan if I even managed to stop this assault!"_

His skin begins to boil from the growing heat.

 _"Now what!?"_ He urgently thought. _"What can I do-"_

He then recalls the time where he and Yami were talking post-battle during the Clover/Diamond Kingdom War.

 _"Yami."_

 _"What, old man?"_

 _"Have you ever left something undone? All because back then, you thought it was too much for you?"_

 _"... I guess."_

 _"Then hypothetically speaking, if you managed to get back to doing it, how would you tackle it?"_

 _"I dunno. Figure might as well try again for the hell of it."_

 _"... Hmm. Quite a vague answer you got there."_

 _"Alright then, what would you do then? How would you tackle that unfinished business? And what kind of 'business' would that be?"_

 _"... I have a library's worth of books that I want to finish reading, and I still have around a half of bookshelf worth of reading left to do."_

 _"So? What's the rush?"_

 _"... My father's will stated that the books to be donated to the Clover Kingdom's Library for safekeeping, and he really doesn't have that much time left. That, and well, my rising responsibilities as the Kingdom's next Wizard King is probably going to stifle my free time..."_

 _"Peh, so what?"_

 _"Pardon?"_

 _"So what if you managed to not finish it before your old man croaks? If I were in either yours or your old man's shoes, I'd just at least convince myself to finish them. No excuses."_

 _"So just do what I like, without holding anything else accountable?"_

 _"Hey, how do you think I ended up here in the first place?"_

 _"... You're right. I guess I was thinking too much."_

 _"And hey, if work becomes too much for you, then why not hire someone to do it for you? I mean, that's what I would do... If I could afford it."_

 _"Like a secretary?"_

 _"Yeah, that."_

 _"And just like that, I managed to convince myself to finish my book before my father passed on from this plane."_ Julius thought. _"And I was able to move on from my insignificance with the consciousness of lightning."_

Then it hit him.

Not the [Light Magic].

But a revelation.

"... If I can't be certain, then might as well go all in."

His grimoire from above afar, flutters its pages wildly.

 **"[Time Magic: O Kósmos]."**

The _whole world_ around Julius comes grinding to a halt.

"Ten seconds..." Julius stated. "... That's all the time I'm given to avert this tragedy."

He then comes up with a brand-new spell to stop this titanic [Light Magic] attack heading towards both him and Quatre.

"Got it."

A giant magic circle resembling a clock was formed in front of the [Scorching Light of Calamity].

"[Mana Zone: Chrono Anáklisi: Midén]."

The [Scorching Light of Calamity] was then wound back inside of [#0: Licht], right before the white-robed revenant was then recalled back into its portal.

Ten seconds have passed, and the whole world resumes its movement.

"W-WHAT THE HELL!?" Crowley cried out upon seeing [#0: Licht] completely disappeared from the face of the earth. "HOW!?"

"... It's like one of my best friends said." Julius grinned. "It was my turn to surpass my own limits."

"YOU BASTARD-"

Julius then traps all three Eye of the Midnight Sun operatives inside [Chronostasis].

"... Now the three of you will have to answer for the crimes that you've committed." Julius declared. "For death is too good for the likes of you."

The skies above are now clean of smoke, and the setting sun begins to peek over the now waning blue sky.

* * *

It was at this moment, frozen in time, that Crowley knew that he lost.

But despite in face of such hopelessness, he refused to yield.

Was it because he himself was fighting for something?

Is it for his revitalized ideals of Licht accepting him?

Is it for his newfound camaraderie in the remnants of his new home?

Is it for his fulfillment to see the entire Clover Kingdom burt to the ground?

... It wasn't even close to those three.

Crowley Asher, "The Unfortunate", fight not for an ideal.

But fights because he has _nothing else left_ in his life to fall back on.

With that reaffirmed resolve stemming from his nihilism...

... The rear end of his single page, was inscribed a _new spell_.

* * *

 **[Fate Magic: Deus Ex Machina]**

* * *

The hand of fate itself hovers over Crowley's perception of the world around him.

It was only driven by one thing.

 **Let us live to fight another day.**

The hands hover above Valtos, Sally, Rades, and Crowley.

All of them, were whisked away from where they once stood, nowhere to be seen.

Safeguarded from their imminent demise, ready to fight another day.

* * *

 **Black Bull's Base Outskirts, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Early Evening)**

* * *

"... Where's Luck?"

* * *

 **Unspecified Location, Clover Kingdom (Early Evening)**

* * *

"... Are we in Hell?" Rades's voice whimpered out.

All of them slowly open their eyes, with Sally, Rades, and Valtos finding themselves in the middle of a lush forest.

"Holy shit, what happened to your eye?" Sally pointed out.

"Stabbed." Valtos stated as he ate his own useless eye after ripping it out of his scarred socket.

"You'll get used to it." Rades stated, pointing out the fact that he was once a monoeye pre-resurrection.

He then hands him a strap of cloth.

"Here." He stated. "Use that to cover your missing eye."

Valtos wraps the empty cavity on his face with the cloth right before the three head out to navigate this unfamiliar forest.

They eventually find a clearing, which housed an abandoned wooden cabin laid at the center.

"... Should we head in there?" Rades asked.

"Not a chance." Sally stated. "Out in the open, and us being in no shape to fight?"

"A recipe for suicide." Valtos bluntly pointed out.

"He's right."

Behind the three was Crowley, alive, and standing straight, but gravely injured.

"Right now, all we can do is lay low, presumably for a good while." Crowley stated. "Come on."

"The Unfortunate" then leads the three deeper into the woods.

"I have been roughing it as far as I can remember." He stated. "As long as you follow me, I assure you, we'll live."

As the four continue to navigate their way through the thickets, they find a youth's body laid flat on the dirt.

"... That's him?" Rades pointed at the boy's battered and dirt-covered body.

Valtos picks up the body and slings it over his shoulder.

"I got what I came for, so let's move."

They continue onwards deeper.

"So Crowley..." Sally asked.

"What?"

"... How did we managed to get out that jam?" She pointed out. "I mean, the Wizard King got us in a headlock, and I'm pretty sure that Valtos wasn't faring any better either."

Crowley smiles as he turned to the second page of his four-leaf one-pager, inscribed with his new spell.

"... I got lucky." He stated bitterly. "Just like we are."

"Can we really call ourselves lucky?" Rades pointed out. "I mean, we failed to burn the entire kingdom to the ground, so we really can't call that an accomplishment."

"True..." Crowley stated. "... So let's call it a 'test run'."

"So we'll get em next time?" Sally asked.

"Only if we don't slack." Crowley stated. "You know what that means?"

The three smile.

"Get more resources to work with." Sally stated.

"Get more people on our side." Valtos stated.

"And get more stronger then those Magic Knight jagoffs." Rades grinned manically.

Crowley smiles at their newfound resolve.

"Then allow to be so presumptuous..." Crowley stated. ".. But would accept me as the new leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun?"

"You have the power to rewrite fate at a whim at the cost of your own, and vise-versa." Sally pointed out. "No objections here."

"Lord Licht was right to choose you to join him as part of the Third Eye." Valtos stated. "Then surely, you are worthy to take up his sword of righteousness."

"You shown me things that are better than just making new toys to play with!" Rades cackled out. "And that's to make them stronger and better then the previous ones!"

"No objections then." Crowley replied. "Then I shall christian the three of you as the new Third Eye."

"Sally: The Faithless."

"Valtos: The Hopeless."

"Rades: The Loveless."

"And I, no longer as Crowley Asher, but now as _Aleister Crowley_..." The now-renamed Aleister declared as the four of them walked triumphantly.

"... Leader of the Neo Eye of the Midnight Sun, as 'The Unfortunate'."

The flames of vengeance has now been rekindled under the dreams of a revolution to come.

* * *

 **Hidden Dark Elf Village, Gallows Forest, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom**

* * *

"So..." Thor asked the black-winged Demon. "... Where is Prince Astaroth been for the past week?"

"... He told me not." Claudius replied. "All he said was that he was elsewhere within the Gallows Forest."

"Wonder what he's doing these days..." Thor mumbled.

"It probably had to do something with Leif." Claudius pointed out.

"... Never thought Demons could feel empathy, or regret, for that matter." Thor pointed out.

"We don't." Claudius answered. "Or at least, we don't get hindered by it as much..."

The Dark Elf and Fallen Angel begin to ruminate in their thoughts while in the distance, sounds of trees being cut down in acres can be heard.

After sounds of deforestation ceases, a cry of anguish was echoed through the branches of this dark forest.

* * *

 **One Week Later...**

 **Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Early Morning)**

* * *

4,000 civilians slaughtered.

262 Magic Knights felled in combat.

And roughly a third of Quatre destroyed.

Only 8,400 civilians and 358 Magic Knights were alive, with the four mages responsible for this tragedy still on the loose, and the social order of the entire Clover Kingdom was on the verge of collapsing.

A mass memorial service was held at Nean's Grand Cathedral, the bodies were cremated and buried proper in a memorial at once where the Blue Rose Knights Headquarters once stood, the bounties for the four responsible were penned, and everyone, both survivor and aid alike were doing whatever they can to rebuild their livelihoods.

Even the king, who's often apathetic to just about the affairs of commoners, even pitched in on the efforts through commissioning workers extra for their services (Julius suspects that it's his PR grab, but he himself had bigger fish to fry).

At the memorial, Charlotte, Sol, Cole, Juniper, Cygnus, Lyra, Noire, the Five Divas, and even Yami were standing in front of it.

"... I hate this." Charlotte grimaced. "I hate how I am reminded of my failures..."

Yami then hands her a shovel.

"Do what you can, Charlotte." Yami stated. "My squad's doing the same."

"Then what are you standing around here for?" She replied.

"Just passing by, nothing more, prickly princess."

Yami then takes his leave and head towards the road reconstruction.

"... First month as a Magic Knight, and suddenly, my home away from home was completely burnt to the ground..." Juniper stated dejectedly.

"... I won't blame you for this being too much to handle." Aion stated while putting down a bouquet of white lilies in front of the memorial.

"To think destruction of this magnitude would happen..." Masquerade spoke out.

"Deplorable." Papillion stated. "I will bring their heads of those responsible back to Quatre for justice!"

"Join the club..." Bastet stated. "... And that's just for starters."

The only one not bothered by this was Morrigan.

"I dunno..." The witch pointed out. "... Can we just kill them later and call it water under the bridge?"

"... You know, you can be a total cold-blooded bitch sometimes, you know that?" Cole pointed out.

"Don't talk to your betters like that, mantrash." Sol snapped.

"Says the person who almost got mosh pitted to death three times in a row." Cole snapped back.

Charlotte leaves in disgust.

"... We should leave before more unpleasantness shores up." Cygnus stated.

"Sorry..." Cole apologized. "... Kinda stepped out of the line."

"We've all been on edge for the past week..." Lyra stated. "... We should help out elsewhere."

The Blue Rose Knights then go their separate ways, intending to take their minds off of this travesty through labor.

At the medical ward set up just outside the Magic Knight Headquarters, the Magic Knights too injured to move were being tended to.

At two cots next to each other, Nozel and Fuegoleon were occupying the spaces, not even batting an eye at each other.

"You're an embarrassment to us Royals." Nozel spoke to Fuegoleon.

"You lost yours to a garden hose." Fugeoleon snapped back.

The two glowered.

"... I guess we're comrades in 'arms' now." Fuegoleon pointed out the pun over their missing arms.

"Since when were you a jester?" Nozel deadpanned.

"... Thought I branch out a little." He stated. "... So about your youngest sister-"

Nozel tucks himself back into his sheets, closing himself off.

"... Guess you do have a heart underneath that steely gaze of yours." Fuegoleon smiled.

Elsewhere, Yuno was drenched in sweat, doing push-ups next to his cot with his top off and his footless right leg over his good left leg.

 _"I can't afford to be depressed forever."_ Yuno thought. _"I already lost Asta and Noelle. I am not going to be so weak to the point where I can't save anyone!"_

Vanessa, recently coming back from her mission, was now volunteering at the medical ward, using her [Thread Magic] to stitch up wounds and broken bones in hopes of mending them faster.

"The boy's restless as usual..." She sighed out. "... Alright, that's enough."

She then picks Yuno up and sets himself back on the cot.

"You did enough for week, Yuno." Vanessa stated sternly. "Get some rest before body dies on you."

"... Yes ma'am." Yuno mumbled before he can protest to her.

The Black Bulls, despite losing the least amount of Magic Knights, the weight of the loss was the most damning.

 _"Magna and Gray are at the Clover/Spade borders filling in for some guards that had to call in sick right after they got back from a Dungeon near Heart Kingdom's borders..."_ Vanessa thought.

She then shakes those thoughts out of her mind and goes back to tending to the other injured people.

Elsewhere, the Wizard King, overseeing the restoration process of Quatre from his relatively-untouched study.

For the past week, he has been going over through piles of paperwork regarding the damages, the casualties, and the possibility foreign powers coming towards into their lands.

"I should probably pay Marx overtime..." Julius muttered as he when through another pile of papers.

 **[Lord Julius!]**

Marx then appears in the projection next to Julius.

"What is it?" Julius asked.

 **[The Clover/Spade Kingdom Border has been breached!]** The projection shouted.

"Calm yourself, Marx." Julius stated. "... By all means, what breached the borders?"

The projection of the Wizard King's Secretary looks at the report before continuing.

 **[... A giant pig monster and a child, of all things.]**

* * *

 **Clover/Spade Kingdom Border, Forbidden Realm, Clover Kingdom (Morning)**

* * *

Caesar Village. A border village known for its impenetrable walls that can be seen from village's main plaza.

Now all the villagers can see were collapsed walls and Magic Knights splayed all over the fields in an undignified heap.

None of them were dead, but everyone too focused on the giant pig's silhouette appearing behind the broken-down marble walls.

In front of the giant shadow, Langris, now bleeding all over his scalp, was slowly standing up against the imposing figure.

"You bastard..." He snarled out. "... HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME BLEED, YOU FILTHY BEAST!"

He then swings his right arm, activating his [Spatial Magic: Archangel Wingbeat], attempting to carve an empty space into the beast's surface.

"Oi, that's _my_ pig you're touching." A gruff and accented voice spoke out.

A tiny figure jumps down from the giant pig's head, and with the swing from its arm, [Archangel Wingbeat] was _rebounded_ back towards Langris, barely missing his feet.

The small figure lands in front of the Golden Dawn's Vice Captain, revealing child-like male with scruffy bright blonde hair, wearing a pure-white suit with a single black suit vest and a loosely-tied red necktie hanging around his neck, his legs covered in a pair of plain and worn out black leather boots with brass buckles, and slung around his back was a sheathed shortsword with its grip resembling a dragon's head.

Langris's brain stops thinking for a brief moment, unable to register the fact that his magic was bested by a mere _child_.

"Oi." Langris glowered at the short male. "You know what you did, you damn brat?"

The short blond male takes notice, but his expression did not give a damn.

"It doesn't matter if you're a kid or not..." He snarled at the short male. "... ANYONE WHO DARES MOCK ME-"

The short male drives his fist into Langris's _crotch_ , shutting him up.

"Okay..." The boy spoke out in a slightly deep and _familiar-accented_ voice. "First of all..."

He then uppercuts the kneeling redhead, sending him flying all the way back towards the village's main plaza, crashing into the fountain.

"... I'm _32_ , ya daft bastard."

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** This Saga took me a good while to finish.

This multiparter has been a rather... brutal endeavor to finish. Mainly due to other fics that I want to finish, along with my outside endeavors (FGO's Summer Event: must get and limit break all free event CEs), and of course, CSULB.

At least my fics will be a monthly release each chapter at worst.

So what do you guys think of this Saga?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd love to know what my audiences are thinking (and that this fic and community needs more love).


	28. Saga 28: Who Can It Be Now?

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 28: Who Can It Be Now?**

* * *

 **Clover/Spade Borders, Caesar Village, Forbidden Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

The news travels fast through the ranks of the Magic Knights, and immediately, a call for mobilization was authorized.

Among those who are mobilized were the Black Bulls (Captain Yami and Gauche), the Blue Rose Knights (Captain Charlotte, Masquerade, Papilion, Bastelt, Morrigan, and Aion), and the Green Mantises (Captain Jack "The Ripper" and Sekke).

Currently, they were all at the makeshift medical tents laid just outside of the village's entrance.

"And none of them were killed?" Charlotte asked.

"It's a miracle that they're all even alive." The medic stated. "Especially after Vice-Captain Langris had his own [Spatial Magic] rebounded back towards him."

"Wait, _rebounded_?" Masquerade pointed out. "Just what kind of magic was the enemy using?"

The staff shakes his head.

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to discern what kind of magic that the enemy used, but we did manage to get its general appearance."

The three Captains look at the projected picture from the staff's [Memory Magic].

"... A child?" Charlotte spoke out disbelief.

"Keh keh keh. These wops got their asses handled by a friggin' schoolboy." Jack snickered out. "That's actually kind of hilarious."

"You know that said 'wops' are two of my guys and possibly several of yours, right?" Yami pointed out.

"Keh keh keh. Not my fault that they got their asses kicked." Jack shot back.

"Men these days..." Charlotte sighed out. "... So what's the current status?"

"The enemy hasn't moved from the spot where the wall was broken down from." The staff stated. "But I think it's best if you've just looked what's happened before you came here."

Through the staff's [Memory Magic: Playback], they saw the image of the giant pig monster burrowing itself into the earth, and revealed on its back was a house-like building.

After complete burial, its tusks were still erected from the earth that it was buried in, and from the building, six other figures came out, tied a banner on the pair of tusks, and between the house and tusks, several rock formations, one large flat-topped stone with four smaller flattops around it, were risen out of the ground.

"... What the hell?" Yami spoke out.

"We are all baffled as you are, Magic Knight Captains." The staff stated. "We specifically called aid for other Magic Knights to investigate this little... anomaly."

"Keh keh keh. So the spineless one called us just so he doesn't get shanked by a possible trap." Jack mocked the cowering staff as he lifted the mage by his robes. "Either way, you got balls."

"I-I-I'm just the guy handling communications!" He stuttered out. "F-Fighting isn't in my payroll!"

"Jack, that's enough." Yami grasped onto his shoulders. "If you want to kill something, save it for the guy that almost did in my guys."

"Keh." He snapped. "Whatever. I don't kill weakings."

As the other Magic Knights went out, Yami was stopped by Magna tugging on his pants.

"... Capt'n..." Magna groaned out.

"... At ease, Vice-Captain." Yami stated. "You're alive, so keep it that way, understood?"

The delinquent Magic Knight goes back to resting in his cot as Yami joined up with the rest of the Magic Knights.

They all steadily headed towards the buried boar, conversing along the way.

"So Gauche..." Yami spoke out. "... I've noticed that you've been rather... _calm_ of this whole mess lately. Is something in your system? Because it's kinda getting creepy."

"All that matters is my angel of a sister, Marie." Gauche matter-of-factly-pointed out. "As long as she's alive and well, everything else is irrelevant."

"Bah-ha! How cold blooded, Black Bull." Sekke huffed out. "And I thought you were part of the whole 'misfits with a heart of gold' kind of deal."

"I do have a heart of gold." Gauche defended himself. "But it's only reserved for my dear Marie."

"The way you speak of your younger kin is that of a person's _betrothed_." Aion pointed out. "... Please tell me that is _not_ the case."

"What wrong with loving one's family!?" Gauche barked back. "And since when did you have the permission to talk about my Marie, you blind bitch!?"

"... My sword hand shall be stayed for the time being." Aion stated after a pause. "Make me retract my current state of mind at your own peril."

The siscon mage growls before brushing her off.

Aion then approaches Yami from behind.

"... Oh." Yami spoke to the blindfolded girl. "It's been a while."

" _Hai_ , _Sukehiro-sensei_." Aion spoke in Yami's native tongue.

"Stop." He stated while scratching the back of his scruffy hair. "It's been over five years since you transfered. You can cut the formalities."

"True, but my debt to you is impossible to repay." Aion stated. "I owe you my life, _Sukehiro-sensei_."

"Yami?" Charlotte asked. "What did you do to her before she came to the Blue Rose Knights?"

"I was drunk off my gourd back then." Yami stated. "When I get wasted, I slip back into my home language, so I think she caught on naturally or just has some weird innate ability to read people's thoughts, but either way, I just thought her my language along with basic _kenjutsu_ out of reflex."

"I stand corrected." Aion smiled shamelessly.

"... I'm conflicted." Charlotte groaned.

"Keh keh keh!" Jack cackled out. "At least I have dessert after the main course!"

"Take a bite of me, I dare you." Yami goaded as he walked ahead.

"Ahem!" Charlotte cut off the two men.

She then points towards the banner hanged over their heads as they walk by.

"... Twrch Trwyth Tavern?" Yami raised an eyebrow. "Is the enemy trying to kill us, or are they serving drinks?"

"I'm not paying." Charlotte stated.

"First round's on the house."

Between all of them, the short blond figure appeared.

All of them jumped away , readying their grimoires and swords.

"Yo!" The blond greeted. "You mind putting those things away? I'm running a catering business here."

"Keh keh keh!" Jack cackled as he brandished his [Death Scythes]. "The only thing I'm catering is a buttload of asskicking!"

"You're under arrest for the unlawful breaching of the borders of th Clover Kingdom!" Charlotte declared. "Surrender quietly, or be taken by force!"

The short blond sighes out in disgust.

"... That is literally the _third_ time someone from here said that to my face, and frankly speaking, it's kinda getting ridiculous." The blond boy stated in a _deeper_ voice. "Look, I ain't here to kill or conquer. Just want to serve drinks to other people outside of the Spade Kingdom, that's all."

"Then why did you break down the walls!?" Masquerade asked.

"I only did that after I noticed that the whole blood Clover Kingdom was surrounded by walls like some sort of xenophobic isolationist nation." The blond stated. "Not only that, but one your guys almost set me tavern on fire. Wearing red, flying on a broom, had two others, one in green and one in black, gave each of em a good one right in the kisser." The blond claimed while clenching his fist.

"Their jobs were to deter any intruders by the borders!" Papillon stated.

"Yeah, tell that to those trigger-happy jagoffs that I laid em good." The blond stated. "You know what, talking's getting us nowhere, you guys are really proving yourselves to be decent people, and I want to expand my business, so here's the deal."

The blond then sits down, arms and legs crossed.

"Take a shot me at your own discretion, and force me to submit." The blond stated. "And as a bonus, I won't fight back."

"Keh!" Jack scoffed. "You've should've said that sooner, kid!"

Jack then swings down his [Death Scythes] towards the blond.

"IF YOU AIN'T GONNA FIGHT BACK, THEN I'LL MAKE YOU FIGHT BACK!" Jack screeched out. "[Severing Magic: Death Scythes]!"

Two green-colored crescent blades come flying towards the blond.

The blades hit, but upon contact, the [Death Scythes] come back towards Jack.

"[Dark Magic: _Yami Matoi Kuroba_ ]!"

Yami parries the two rebounded [Severing Magic] away from the group.

"Tch." Yami scoffed. "Thought it was a trap."

"Nah, it's just that you guys are shite mages." The blond called out.

"Then rudimentary combat it is." Aion stated right before flash-stepping towards the sitting blond.

"Aion, don't!" Yami cried out.

She then quickdraws her Chokutō towards the blond, with its gleaming blade lined up towards his neck.

The blade was then caught mid-swing, between the blond's index and thumb.

"Warmer." He stated. "But not warm enough."

Aion's sword then shatters in the blond's grasp.

Aion hops back to where her Captain was at, gritting her teeth in frustration.

"So direct combat isn't an option, then." Charlotte grimaced. "Perhaps indirect combat then."

She then thrusts her [Conqueror's Brandish] into the earth, and her [Thorn Magic] bursts out of the blond's feet, wrapping him in brambles up into the air.

"I got you now!" Charlotte cried out triumphantly. "Now surrender!"

"No, I suggest ducking." The blond pointed out nonchalantly.

The briars around the blond then begin to tremble around his person.

The barbed vines explode off of the blond, with a stray vine lashing across Charlotte's face, to fast for Yami to react.

 _"Shit! I couldn't parry it in time!"_ Yami thought.

A massive gash was formed where her nose _was_ at.

"Wha-What the hell?" Charlotte gawked out.

Yami was completely loss for words at Charlotte's newly formed scar that ran across the midsection of her face, _without_ the nose.

Charlotte feels her face, and hysterically screams in horror after she realised that her nose was ripped off of her face.

"Oh my god, Captain!" Bastet cried out as she bandaged Charlotte's now-heavily scarred face.

"Alright, this is starting to turn really embarrassing." The blond stated. "You know what, if you jagoffs aren't paying customers, then I'll simply kick all you out myself."

"Wait, paying customer?" Yami pointed out. "So if we drink in your bar and pay for our drinks, you'll agree to call it ceasefire?"

"Yami, what are you doing?" Charlotte whispered out.

"Getting the mission back on track." Yami hushed the bandaged Captain.

"Finally!" The blond threw his arms up joyously. "Come inside!"

"Keh, so much for fighting." Jack scoffed in disappointment.

"... That was anticlimactic, bah-ha." Sekke stated lifelessly.

"Well, better than nothing." Bastet stated. "... But I don't drink."

"We don't just serve rotgut, ya know." The blond stated. "Tavern stirs up a really mean gruel fit for royalty."

"Then I await in anticipation~!" Morrigan stated.

The Magic Knights reluctantly head into the tavern.

In the tavern's interiors, they were greeted by a pig.

"Welcome to Twrch Trwyth Tavern!" The pig spoke out.

"... Please tell me I'm hallucinating, and that this whole 'tavern' is one giant elaborate trap." Charlotte muttered out as the pig trotted away elsewhere.

"Nope, this is reality." The blond stated. "... What, aren't talking fauna a thing in your Kingdom?"

All of the Magic Knights shake their heads.

"Over there, even the dogs talk occasionally." The blond stated. "Hell, some of them are smart enough to use grimoires."

"Yep!" The pig cheerly pointed out. "My name's Moccus! I'm this tavern's mascot, waiter, and the user of [Food Magic]! Any leftovers that I devour will be converted to my mana!"

"So you're just like Charmy." Yami pointed out as he took a seat by one of the tables.

The others then take their seats around the tavern.

"So..." The blond stated. "... Any potential plus ones before I take your orders?"

Yami then looks at Charlotte.

"... No." Charlotte stated. "We don't."

"Alright then!" The blond slapped his hands together. "My name's Dagda, and this afternoon, I shall be your host! What can I get ya fine folk?"

Moccus then hands the Magic Knights the menu lists.

"Any drinks to get you ladies and gents started?" Dagda asked.

"Two pints of stout for me and sticks over there." Yami stated while pointing towards Jack. "And as for the rest of you..."

"Water." Charlotte spoke.

"Same." Gauche spoke.

"Same." Masquerade stated.

"I'd like some apple cider." Papilion stated.

"Milk for me." Bastet stated.

"A whiskey float." Morrigan stated.

"Black tea." Aion spoke.

"Guinness." Sekke stated smugly. "A name worthy as such as myself."

"Got it." Dagda wrote the menu down. "Anything to eat?"

"Shepherd's pie." Yami stated.

"Corned beef and cabbage." Jack spoke.

"Lamb stew." Charlotte stated.

"Corned beef hash." Gauche stated.

"Potato pancakes." Masquerade stated.

"Onion soup with extra cheese." Papillion spoke.

"Chicken sliders." Bastet stated.

"Coddle." Morrigan stated.

"Colcannon." Aion stated.

"Slow-roasted lamb and cabbage, bah-ha." Sekke stated.

"So two pints of stout, three cups of water, one pint of apple cider, one pint of milk, one whiskey float, one cup of black tea, and one pint of the Guinness for the drinks..." Dagda then went down his list. "... And for food, one shepherd's pie, one corned beef and cabbage, one lamb stew, one corned beef hash, one plate of potato pancakes, one onion soup with extra cheese, one plate of chicken sliders, one coddle, one colcannon, and one slow-roasted lamb and cabbage. Am I missing anything?"

"Nope." Yami stated.

"Alright then." Dagda spoke right before heading back into the counter. "CISSO! WE GOT CUSTOMERS!"

The sounds of clattering pots and pans were heard.

 _"Oi capt'n..."_ A deep and smooth voice rang out. _"... You said customers?"_

"Yep." Dagda spoke back.

 _"Put the order where I can see em and say no more."_

Dagda then goes behind the counters, sets up nine barrel mugs and one tin cup, pours water in three of them, two were filled with foamy-looking black ale, one was filled with milk, two were filled with a glop of vanilla ice cream poured onto with amber-brown liquid, the other was filled with the black-colored stout, and the tin cup was filled with warm water dunked with a teabag filled with black tea leaves. He then puts them all on the trays, and rings the bell on the counter.

From upstairs, footsteps were heard, and from the door leading up, a curvaceous, silver-haired female in pink-colored blouse with cut-off sleeves edged with ruffles and a dark blue pencil skirt enters, her leather slippers clicking and clacking on the wooden floors.

"So Dagda?" The silver-haired girl spoke to the short blond. "These are our first customers?"

"Hey, better than having no business in a foreign land." Dagda spoke. "Be lamb and take the drinks to them, will you?"

"Yes sir!" She then lifts the two trays and carries them towards the table.

She places the trays on the tables, and she then passes the drinks out.

... In the wrong order.

"Um, Aengus?" Dagda stated. "Ya got the order wrong again."

"Ah! Sorry!" Aengus squeaked out.

She then switches out the stout in from Sekke with the Guinness from Yami.

"Bah-ha! A true gentleman can handle a folly. Especially from a beautiful lady like you." Sekke directed it towards Aengus.

She quickly walked away with a blush.

"Oi, that's _my_ woman you're ogling." Dagda spoke out. "You can ogle, but only _I'm_ allowed to lay a hand on her, alright?"

Sekke grumbles as he drinks.

"... So while the food is being cooked, you folks wanna ask me anything?" Dagda asked.

"Will you please explain why you came to the Clover Kingdom in the first place?" Charlotte asked. "And unlawfully, to boot?"

"What? Is there a law that you have to be legalized to enter into this Kingdom?" Dagda shot back.

She freezes upon hearing the statement that made too much sense in hindsight.

 _"... Do we even have immigration laws?"_ Charlotte asked. _"I mean, Yami's technically an immigrant, but since the Wizard King took him in personally, no one really bothered with the details..."_

"Oi, quit looking at me like that, ice queen." Yami deadpanned as he drank his pint.

"But remember one thing." Dagda continued. "I'm only here to expand my customer base. Nothing more."

"Keh keh keh." Jack cackled as he set down his mug. "So here's my question, what's the Spade Kingdom like?"

Dagda scratched his head.

"... I'll answer that if you can tell me a bit about yourselves." Dagda pointed out. "I mean, the food and drinks aren't for free, ya know."

"Alright." Yami spoke out. "Ask away. Because sure as hell that no one else's interested in talking."

"Gotcha." Dagda stated. "So first of all, what's with all those colored robes?"

"These?" Yami pointed towards his Black Bulls robe. "There are Magic Knight Robes, the pride and symbol of Clover Kingdom's Magic Knights."

"Hmm, and I'm guessing that you lot are kind of like the Kingdom's military, right?" Dagda pointed out. "If so, why the division? Shouldn't the nation's military force be concentrated under one coalition, or is it like each color are under a umbrella term?"

"The latter, I guess." Yami stated. "There are nine Magic Knight Squads in total. For example, I'm part of the Black Bulls, beansprout over there is a Green Mantis, and prickly princess over there is a Blue Rose Knight."

"So what makes each of them unique?" Dagda asked as he refilled Charlotte's mug of water.

"Blue Rose Knights are an all-women squad, with the very few men in there acting as literal manservants. Green Mantis usually take up urban affairs, like catching purse-snatchers and the occasional drug rings. And as for the Black Bulls..."

"Keh!" Jack scoffed. "Those guys are at the bottom of the barrel, and where the Magic Knights dump their undesirables at."

Aion glares at Jack with her blindfolded eyes as she sipped on her tea.

"Bottom of the barrel?" Dagda pointed out. "Last I checked, the big guy over there is the strongest out of all of you lot!"

Yami bursts into a hearty laughter.

"Hey beansprout!" Yami gloated. "He said that I'm stronger than you!"

"Keh keh keh!" Jack chuckled out. "You wanna take this outside!?"

Charlotte binds the two of them with her [Thorn Binding Magic: Spinning Wheel Bindings].

"Forgive me." Charlotte sighed out. "They're idiots."

"Eh, they're my general customer base, but at least those guys are decent enough to take it outside." Dagda shrugged off.

"... Did a fight happen inside the tavern before?" Aion asked.

"The whole damn tavern got its entire roof blown off. Multiple times." Dagda pointed out. "Currently sitting at number twenty-seven..."

"How is this place even running?" Charlotte asked Dagda.

"They were smart enough to pitch in." Dagda stated. "Partially because they like Cisso's cooking."

"Food's ready!"

From the kitchen, a tall and lean male with short and spiked silver hair, with a massive gash running down to his midsection from his left nape, wearing a red leather jacket over his bare upper body, over it was a plain-white apron, a pair of red leather pants, and a pair of plain black shoes.

"Name's Cissonius." The silver-haired man greeted with a sharp-toothed grin. "Pleasure to meet ya."

He then sets down the food on the trays right before ringing the bell.

"Oi bossman." Cissonius talked to Dagda. "Why we didn't wake everyone else up?"

"Let's just say that I prefer to have the roof intact during our first impressions within the Clover Kingdom, and not spend the first day her patching the roof." Dagda snapped.

"Fine..." Cissonius grumbled as he rang the bell.

 _"Ugh, you know what time it is!?"_ A young boy's voice cried out from upstairs.

"You've been sleeping 16 hours, ya wee bastard!" Dagda called out. "We've got customers!"

 _"... OH CRAP!"_ The boy's voice cried out. _"EVERYONE! WAKE UP! WE'VE GOT CUSTOMERS!"_

Sounds of cluttering were heard in tandem with multiple footsteps.

"... This place isn't that good on staff, isn't it?" Yami pointed out.

"To be fair, we haven't had business for over a week." Dagda pointed out. "Cisso is the only one bothering waking up before six in the morning to make sure that the produce is still fresh."

The door leading upstairs opens to reveal at least five people tumbling down the stairs.

One was a chestnut-haired boy wearing an oversized hoodie-coat over his dark blue long sleeve shirt with turquoise-colored cargo shorts, and a pair of sneakers. Another was a large-looking (a head taller than _Yami_ ) girl with her brown hair tied in twintails, wearing an orange-colored leather bodysuit with cropped off sleeves and legging, wearing a comically-small backpack and a pair of green-colored boots. Another was a feminine-looking and bespectacled male with a magenta hair formed in a messy bob, wearing a light-pink t-shirt over his black knit sweater, a pair tight black pants cut off at the midsection of his forelegs (which were also like a woman's/immaculate), and a pair of pinch slippers with brass buckles. another was a slim and curvy-looking woman with raven-black hair, wearing a stylized blue-violet longcoat with a puff of white fur around the coat's collar, barely buttoned up and preventing her breasts being seen bare, a pair of short-shorts, and a pair of high-heeled boots that went up to her thighs. And finally, there was a massive moustached and redhead man with bulging muscles, wearing nothing on his macho upper body, with the only articles of clothing being a pair of forest-green pants with its overall straps hanging around the sides of his pants, and a pair of brown combat boots.

"... That's a very diverse group." Papillion pointed out.

"Morning, capt'n." The boy yawned out. "... Can you all get off of me?"

"I will allow it." The moustached man stated as he got off.

"No need to tell me." The raven-haired lady spoke as she also got off.

"I was about to." The androgynous male stated as he also got off.

"Sorry..." The twintailed girl apologized as she got off.

"... So, these are my folks." Dagda stated. "Shorty there is Cernunnos. The big girl here is Danu. Boy-girl there is Ogmios. The lady there is Brigid. And the macho man is Lugh."

The Magic Knights were stunned at the bumbling group.

Not because of their oddly mismatched dynamic.

But because of their overwhelming mana signatures.

 _"Holy shit..."_ Charlotte thought.

 _And those guys are content with catering drinks and grub?"_ Yami thought.

 _"They're genial, for sure. But caution is still heeded."_ Aion thought.

"... Just who are you all, really!?" Sekke choked out.

"... Um, guys?" Cissonius called out. "Food's getting cold."

"I got it." Cernunnos then motions his hand, bringing a stuffed bear and dog from the second floor.

The stuffed animals then pick up the trays and set it down on the tables.

"Take what you ordered." The boy shrugged before he yawned.

"At least they look familiar..." Yami stated as he took a bite of his shepherd's pie. "... Holy shit, this is good."

The Magic Knights then immediately forgets the overwhelming presence of the tavern staff as they dig into the godly-tasting food.

As they dug in, they continued to ask questions to Dagda.

"So..." Yami asked. "... What is the Spade Kingdom like, anyway?"

"Well, definitely not like the Clover Kingdom..." Dagda stated.

"Like what, precisely?" Charlotte asked.

"... I mean that this too quiet." He stated. "I mean, this place is way too peaceful."

"Something tells me that there's more to the story..." Aion pointed out.

"... Well, for starters, the whole 'Kingdom' is not as united as one would think." Dagda stated. "Whole country is divided into three factions."

Dagda looks at Brigid, which then she then takes out a roll of paper from her cleavage.

"Thanks." Dagda then sets down the roll on the counter, which floats into the air, as it slowly unfurls into a map.

"As you can see from the map, the Kingdom is divided into three." Dagda pointed out. "The disputes began around 600 years ago amidst a succession crisis, with three heirs warring against each other, each of them fighting over the throne."

"And who won?" Yami asked.

"No one." Dagda answered. "For 600 years, the succession war has gone into an endless stalemate, and at that point, no one bothered for the kingship anymore, but we fought for so long that it's the only thing that we could do."

"... How the hell we didn't know about this!?" Charlotte pointed out. "This kind of news would surely be known to all four kingdoms!"

"Does anyone here know of foreign affairs?" Brigid pointed out.

No one answers.

"... Guess that's a no, then."

Dagda then goes over the map.

"First, the Northwestern end." Dagda stated. "There lies Camelot, a faction led by a counsel of 13 Magic Knights like yourselves, most notable of them consisting the likes of Gawain, the 'Blazing Sun', Tristan, the 'Phantom Arrow', Belvidere, the 'Boundless Power', Kay, the 'Thunderclap Charmer', Lancelot, the 'Lunar Berserker', Galahad, the 'Night Watcher', and arguably the strongest, and the one who brought them all 13 of those bastards together, _Arthur Britannia Pendragon_ , the 'Astral Hero-King'."

Dagda then points below Camelot.

"Then comes the Southwest, where lies the Liberatum." Dgada pointed out. "It was once the weakest kingdom of the three, but after the rumors of its prime minister being outed by the prince, it began to amass more power after the prince, _Charlemagne Karl Carolus Magnus_ , came into power, accepting people from all walks of life, from nomads from Heart Kingdom, Clover and Diamond Kingdom dissidents, and there are even rumors that it even recruited two girls from a foreign country called 'Hanafuda'."

Yami almost spits out his drink upon hearing that name.

"Hmm?" Dagda looked at the Black Bulls Captain. "Somethin' wrong with the stout?"

"...Nothing, just... carry on." Yami tried to regain his composure.

"Around the Eastern border beyond the neutral territory, lies Ulster, a coalition of various warrior tribes under one chieftain, _Fergus Mac Roich Gaedurg_ , a mage that is so strong, that he levels forests as leisure with his magic." Dagda stated. "He himself is pure-blooded human, despite his magic being roughly that of twice of a pure-blooded elf."

"Wait, _elves_?" Sekke pointed out. "That's ridiculous! They only exist in fairy tales!"

"Nope. They're real." Dagda stated. "They came to the Spade Kingdom after a great calamity befell upon their race, and since then, they became part of our country since."

Charlotte then looks at Cissonius noticing that his ears were slightly pointed.

Just like an _elf's_.

"... Cissonius, are you perhaps an-"

"Nah." Cissonius cut off Charlotte. "Half-elf on my ma's side."

"Keh keh keh!" Jack cackled out. "So that's why you're all so friggin strong!"

"It's not just elves, ya know." Cissonius pointed out. "Dwarves, jotuns, and the occasional _demon_. We're all a melting pot of a population."

Yami chokes on his food upon hearing the word 'demon'.

". _.. Yuno said the same thing."_ Yami thought as he chewed his food. _"Let's see where this goes..."_

"So what are you guys?" Yami asked.

"Danu's a full jotun, Cissonius is half-elf, half-human, Cernunnos is half-elf, half-dwarf, Ogmios is half-jotun, half-dwarf, Brigid is one-quarter elf, one-quarter dwarf, one-quarter jotun, and one-quarter human, Lugh's half-elf, and half-jotun, and I myself am a demon on my pa's side with my ma being a dwarf." Dagda stated.

"What about her?" Sekke pointed towards Aengus.

"I'm full-human." She bashfully stated. "Sorry to disappoint."

"Eh, better than those mudbloods." Sekke stated snidely.

Danu then picks him up by his collar.

"Say that again, you bastard." She snarled out.

"Please take it back." Dagda begged as the others hid behind Lugh. "I prefer to have the roof intact."

"And why would I do that-"

Danu then turns _massive_.

As in around three stories tall, breaking through the roof with Sekke wrapped around her massive fingers.

"HOLY SHIT! SHE'S MASSIVE!" Bastet cried out.

"KEH KEH KEH!" Jack cackled out gleefully. "NOW SHE'S WORTH CUTTING UP!"

"Um, you that's your guy, right?" Yami pointed out.

"THAT'S A JOTUN!?" Charlotte screeched out.

From her backpack, she takes out a bronze-colored hammer, which then turns massive enough to fit her grip.

"Aw shite, she brought out _Scoilteoir_." Dagda sighed out while the other Magic Knights gawked. "... Did he at least write a will prior?"

"SHE'S GOING TO KILL HIM!" Masquerade pointed out.

"Only if he doesn't apologize." Dagda blankly stated. "Ain't my responsibility if someone gets their ass laid on a silver platter because he was an asshole."

He then leaps up towards Danu's head.

"You might wanna apologize now, buddy." Dagda stated towards Sekke.

Sekke himself already fainted in Danu's grip.

"I think he's dead, Danu." Dagda stated while poking at Sekke's cheek. "You can let go of him now."

With a huff, she drops the unconscious Sekke into Jack's arms.

"Keh. Get off of me." Jack scoffed as he dropped Sekke on the floorboards.

 **[WHAT'S GOING ON!?]**

A projection of Marx appears in front of Dagda, with the now giant-sized Danu kneeling down to take a closer look at the projection.

 **[GAH! WHAT'S A GIANT WOMAN DOING HERE!?]**

"Yo." Dagda greeted at the projection. "Sorry about the scare."

A door appears before them, revealing the Wizard King.

"... So the Spade Kingdom's inhabitants are quite a handful, aren't they?" Julius stated. "Also, she's a jotun? I knew that they existed in the past, but to see one in flesh, is quite astounding."

He then turns to the half-demon proprietor.

"So." He asked. "What brings you folk here to the Clover Kingdom?"

"Business." Dagda answered. "Wanted to expand customer base so thought coming here would help keep this place running."

"Could've you at least done it a not such a blasie way?" Julius pointed out.

"Tell that to your trigger-happy Magic Knights that tried to burn down my tavern." Dagda stated. "Had to stop em myself before they set our livelihood on fire."

"So that's where all that noise was coming from..." Cernunnos yawned out. "... I'm going back to bed."

The half-dwarf, half-elf goes back upstairs, disregarding the fact that that the roof was no longer there.

"... So you're saying that the Magic Knights stationed by the border attacked you without warning." Julius stated.

"To be fair, _Langris_ was in charge of this week's post." Yami pointed out.

"Is something significant about him?" Dagda asked.

"Just the fact that he's an uncaring psychopath who'll kill anyone out of sheer provocation, or at least what his older brother told me." Yami stated.

"... Oh! You the foppish looking jagoff with the beige and gold robe who thought that he could take me, and that he can kill me with one fell swoop with a swing of his hand." Dagda chuckled out. "... Yeah. I made sure that he'll never have children again with a swing of my hand."

"Yep, that's him." Yami stated while taking a drag.

"Umm, what's that in your mouth?" Aengus asked Yami.

"A cigarette." Yami answered. "Never seen one before?"

"... Sorry, those don't exist in the Spade Kingdom." She meekly replied.

"So no ashtray, then..." Yami sighed out. "... Alright, I'll be outside."

"It seems that you're addicted to those 'cigarettes'." Ogmios pointed out.

"Eh, as you grow up, an addiction or two sticks on ya." Yami waved off the magenta-haired male's statement as he left the tavern.

"... That aside, I'm assuming that he's not dead?" Julius asked Dagda.

"Eh, no vitals were struck, so he oughta be fine." Dagda answered. "That goes for the rest of your Magic Knights stationed here after they kept pelting their balls of fire and water at me."

"I'm curious." Julius stated. "Just what kind of magic do you folks have?"

"Oh, a cultural exchange." Brigid spoke out. "I'm also curious to see what the inhabitants of the Clover Kingdom are like in the arcane arts."

"If it's a tussle ya want, then let's take it outside." Dagda stated. "Aengus, get ready in case if it gets really ugly."

"Ready Dagda!" She replied as she and Moccus put on steel helmets.

All of them (sans Danu, she technically outside) head outside of the tavern, including Marx's projection.

"So!" Dagda spoke out in front of the group. "Who wants to go first and face which of us?"

 **"Capt'n."** Danu spoke out from above. **"Let me have at greeny down there."**

"Keh keh keh!" Jack cackled out. "My first jotun that Imma cut down!"

"Them fightin' words." Dagda stated. "But first, DANU!"

The jotun looked down.

"You mind shrinking down?" Dagda called out. "At this rate, we're going to end up with a casualty!"

 **"... Fine."** She pouted. **"But only because the capt'n said so."**

She then shrinks down back to her normal (but relatively tall) size.

"Alright everyone, stand back." Dagda stated. "And I mean all the way to that village over there."

"Why?" Morrigan asked with her (slightly buzzed) blush.

"Trust me." Dagda stated.

They all walk back to the village with the other villagers as audience.

"Aengus, you ready?" Dagda asked the silver-haired girl.

"I got the beer ready!" Moccus spoke out.

"Wait, is that pig talking?" Julius spoke out.

"You'll get used to it." Yami pointed out as he took a drag.

In the clearing between the village and the mobile tavern, stood Jack the Ripper, the Captain of the Green Mantis Magic Knights, and Danu, the jotun.

"Keh keh keh." Jack cackled out. "You got balls fightin' me, girly."

"You're an asshole, you know that?" Danu pointed her bronze hammer towards Jack.

"Keh keh keh!" Jack cackled out once more. "To live is to fight! And as my position as Magic Knight Captain, I can meet and fight strong people as much as I want without restraint!"

Danu grimaces.

"You're just like everyone else back home..." Danu grumbled out.

"Less talking..." Jack hissed out.

He then opens his grimoire.

"... MORE FIGHTING!" He cried out. "[Severing Magic: Silhouette Blade]!"

A large magical slash comes closing towards the jotun girl.

Danu takes a deep breath as she raised her hammer.

"[Terraform Magic...]"

Danu then strikes her hammer down onto the earth.

 **"[... Glacier Gladius]!"**

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** So yeah. I went there.

I'm basically homaging the Seven Deadly Sins themselves in all of their OP glory.

Also, Spade Kingdom headcanons!

1) The canon lore states that they have the strongest military force out of the four kingdoms, but in this AU, their military strength is causing them to be divided into three sub-powers with each one trying to conquer the other.

2) Elves, the ones that were either exiled, ran away, or escaped, all of them found themselves within the Spade Kingdom's civil war, where unlike the Clover's idiot nobles, the Spade Kingdom were smart enough to seek out their help in their war efforts.

3) Claudius does not know of this detail. Cue Twilight Sparkle-level ( _Lesson Zero_ , specifically), freakout in future.

Also, Hypothetical voices (For funsies)!

 **Dagda: Yuuki Kaji (JPN), Bryce Papenbrook (ENG)**

 **Aengus: Sora Amamiya (JPN), Katelyn Barr (ENG)**

 **Moccus: Misaki Kuno (JPN), Christina Kelly (ENG)**

 **Cissonius: Tatsuhisa Suzuki (JPN), Anthony Bowling (ENG)**

 **Danu: Aoi Yuuki (JPN), Carli Mosier (ENG)**

 **Cernunnos: Jun Fukuyama (JPN), Michael Sinterniklaas (ENG)**

 **Ogmios: Yūhei Takagi (JPN), Micah Solusod (ENG)**

 **Brigid: Maaya Sakamoto (JPN), Amber Lee Connors (ENG)**

 **Lugh: Tomokazu Sugita (JPN), Christopher Corey Smith (ENG)**

So what do you guys think of this Saga?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to hear what my audience has to say!

Also, sidenote, CSULB Semester about to start soon.

Prepare for major slowdown for all fics post August 26th of 2019.


	29. Saga 29: Culture Shock

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 29: Culture Shock**

* * *

 **Clover/Spade Borders, Caesar Village, Forbidden Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

 **"... [Glacier Gladius]!"**

A massive blade of ice _explodes_ out of the ground, petering the [Silhouette Blade] against it.

All of the Magic Knights and villagers gawk at the visage, with Yami dropping his cigarette from his mouth.

"... Did she just terraform a goddamn glacier with a puny-ass warhammer in a middle of _spring_?" Yami mumbled out.

"OH MY GOD!" Julius squeed out.

 **[Oh dear...]** Marx groaned out from his projection. **[... The Wizard King's going on another nerdgasm again. Call me back when it's over...]**

Marx disconnects as Julius begins to go into an ecstatic glee.

"WHAT KIND OF MAGIC IS THAT!?"

"That..." Dagda stated. "... Is [Terraform Magic]."

"WHAT DOES IT DO!?" Julius asked enthusiastically. "AND HOW MUCH MANA DOES A JOTUN HAVE!?"

"Allow me to explain." Brigid cut in. "[Terraform Magic] is a subcategory of [Earth Magic], focused on controlling the very earth itself, creating landscapes from the earth itself, like mountains, canyons, volcanoes, and that glacier over there."

"You said subcategory?" Charlotte pointed out.

"... It's a goddamn _upgrade_." Bastet whispered in horror.

In the clearing, Jack was laughing in half-excitement, and half-horror.

"Keh keh keh!" Jack cackled out. "Man, you're stronger than I ever imagined!"

"You wanna keep going?" Danu spoke out. "Because I can."

"I AIN'T STOPPING UNTIL I CUT YOU TO RIBBONS!" Jack then opens her grimoire once more. "[Severing Magic: Guillotine Cross]!"

He jumps up into the air, crosses his arms, forms a x-shaped blade from his arms, and rapidly descends towards the jotun.

"YOU WANNA PIECE OF ME!?" She cried out. "HERE'S ANOTHER ONE FOR YOU, JAGOFF!"

She then rakes the earth around her, and a chunk of earth begins to form around her hammer's tip.

"[Terraform Magic: Plateau Partizan]!"

A spear made of pure earth erects towards the descending Captain.

The weapons clash, raining bits of earth down onto Danu's head.

"Not gonna work, you bastard!" Danu roared out.

She then slams back the rocks with her hammer, terraforming the rocks into arrowheads.

The rocks were cut against the magic blade, the cut rocks were then suddenly glowing.

"[Pocket Volcanoes]!"

The rocks explode into a cloud of white-hot ash and sulfur, but from the smog, the Ripper emerges.

Jack's [Guillotine Cross] clashes with Danu's hammer.

"Keh keh keh!" Jack cackled out. "This is easily the most fun I ever had!"

"You are really starting to piss me off!" Danu barked out.

Before the fight can escalate any further, Julius traps the two of them in [Chronostasis].

"That's enough you two." Julius stepped in.

"As much as I'd love explore more of Jack the Ripper's [Severing Magic], I can't exactly do it if he's a corpse." Brigid pointed out as she stepped in.

"One minute time limit per match?" Julius suggested.

"I'll make the most of it." She stated.

Aengus then comes running towards the two frozen mages.

"Anyone hurt?" She spoke out.

"A few burns and bruises there and there, nothing severe." Julius stated.

"I know the reason why he calls himself 'Jack the Ripper'."

Ogmios shows up between all of them out of nowhere.

"Oh my!" Julius stated. "Didn't notice that you were here..."

"He calls himself 'Jack the Ripper' because he's embarrassed of his real name, _Jacque Schneider_."

"Ogmios, it's rude to dig into other people's memories." Brigid chastised.

"I was just curious, just as you were of his magic." Ogmios pointed out.

"Um, you do know that they can still hear us, right?" Julius stated.

"I know." Ogmios stated. "This could be our little inside joke."

Ogmios's hand then reaches inside of the [Chronostasis] and grabs onto Jack's face.

"He'll forget that ever happened." Ogmios stated. "[Memory Magic: Event Edit]."

Ogmios then removes his hands from his face and out of the orb.

"There, now he won't remember a thing." He stated. "We should return."

"I'll provide first-aid." Aengus stated. "[Light Recovery Magic: Fae's Light]."

The cuts and bruises around Jack's body mend upon touching the particles of light.

"Now then..." Julius spoke out. "... Shall we continue this another time?"

Ogmios then scans his brain.

"It seems that their capital was attacked by an insurgence group known as the Eye of the Midnight Sun, and rather powerful ones at that." Ogmios stated.

"Oho?" Bridgid remarked. "... Do go on-"

"Ahem."

Julius cuts off the two.

"... I would really prefer if confidential information be kept confidential. Just sayin'." Julius whispered.

The two Spade Kingdom natives look at each other.

"Ogmio?"

"My lips are sealed until further notice." The bespectacled youth stated.

* * *

 **Gallows Forest,** **Hidden Dark Elf Village, Forbidden Realm, Clover Kingdom (Evening)**

* * *

An Anti-Bird frantically flew towards the dimly-lit forest.

The bird was greeted by the dark elves passing by from their hunt, but said bird was in too much of a hurry to reply.

"MILORD!"

The bird transforms back into Claudius, crashing through a tree before eating muck from the swamp below.

The Fallen Angel flies back up to the wooden platforms with ease, but his panic not ceasing.

"What's the matter?" Astaroth asked the heaving Fallen Angel.

The Ars Goetia captain composes himself before speaking, straightening his ruffled hair and wiping his brows.

"... Terrible news." Claudius heaved out. "... There's... There's-"

"Spit it out already." Astaroth stated.

All of the sudden, Claudius flies into the depths of the forest screaming like a madman, his maddening fits of emotional distress echoing throughout the branches.

 _ **"DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!"**_ Claudius thought while screaming his lungs off. **_"OUT OF ALL TIMES, WHY NOW!?"_**

 _ **"FIRST THE SURVIVAL OF THE ELVES, THEN THE ALTERED HUMAN HISTORY, AND NOW, THE EXISTENCE OF JOTUNS, DWARVES, AND NOW, FILTHY HALF-BREEDS SPAWNING THIS DAMNED EARTH!"**_

 _ **"WORST OF ALL, THAT PRESENCE, THAT HALF-DEMON..."**_

He then uproots a dead tree and breaks it against his knee.

 **"DAMN YOU, _MAINYU_! DAMN YOU TO THE DEEPEST DEPTHS OF THE INFERNO THAT YOU AND YOUR FILTHY STYGIAN SPAWN HAS SPAWNED FROM!"**

Claudius then punches the earth in rage, uprooting the surrounding trees from their foundations.

 **"DAMN YOU ALL TO THE DEEPEST DEPTHS HEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"**

* * *

 **Clover Kingdom Capital Quatre, Magic Knight Headquarters, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Morning)**

* * *

"So what's the status of the Clover Capital's recovery?" Julius asked Marx.

"About 58% of the city is almost complete in its repairs, Wizard King." Marx stated. "The majority of the Magic Knights have recovered and are now aiding the efforting of rebuilding Quatre."

"And of the Spade Kingdom's... visitors?" Julius asked with minor hesitense.

"They haven't moved from the spot that they've arrived at, sir." Marx reported. "It seems that they're serious of running a proprietary here in our lands, with them patching up their wrecked taverns and so on-"

"Unacceptable."

Behind the two, a tall and lean man with blade-like glares and flowing black robes appeared before them.

"Oh..." Julius remarked. "Chairman of the Justice Department Damnatio Kira, how can I help you?"

"Why haven't driven out those rabble by the Caesar Village's borders?" The Chairman asked. "The Congress insists that they be get rid of unless you want to lose your seat, Julius."

"And I did so yesterday, Chairman." Julius replied. "We've made a compromise, and both sides agreed on a ceasefire."

"That is no compromise, it's an appeasement to the enemy, Julius!" Damnatio barked out. "Our duty as citizens of the Clover Kingdom is to protect our livelihood and the common good, so damn job, or I'll do it for you!"

Before the Chairman rushes off, he states one last thought towards the current Wizard King.

"You're lucky that the Congress is too occupied on the Clover Kingdom's post-disaster efforts. Soon as this is over, I'd like you to see me in my office the day after the final brick has been laid. Be late, and I'll find you, _period_."

His footsteps echo throughout the halls of the Magic Knight Headquarters.

"... He's gonna do it, isn't he?" Marx asked out.

"Marx, call Owen and reserve a room, just in case." Julius requested, knowing that Damnatio will do something stupid regardless of his warnings.

The two then continue to walk down the halls.

"So, how's Captain Jack's condition?" Julius asked.

"He back at the Caesar Village borders, and specifically instructed not to engage in combat with the Spade Kingdom natives." Marx stated. "And as extra precaution, we sent William Vangance to survey the whole situation."

"Any reports?"

Marx then looks over the papers.

"... Aside from two instances where Jack was restrained by Captain William's [World Tree Magic], nothing too dire has arisen, sir." Marx reported.

"And of our little 'Cultural Exchange'..." Julius stated. "... What does the Congress say about it?"

"... Surprisingly, the decision is split, sir." Marx remarked. "46% are in favor, 47% are against it, and the remaining 7% are still on the fence about it, the King himself included."

"And correct me if I'm wrong, but the majority of the Congress who're in favor of it are just using this opportunity to 'study our enemies to find their weaknesses' as an excuse, right?" Julius asked while pinching the bridge of his nose in mild frustration.

"... As neutral party, the least I can say is that all works out without fuss." Marx remarked.

The Wizard King nods.

The two then enters the recently-rebuilt medical ward, with its patients (Yuno, Fuegoleon, and Nozel) still rehabilitating.

All three of them salute before the Wizard King.

"At ease." Julius stated.

"Please forgive us of our incompetence, Wizard King." Nozel stated. "I let my arrogance get the better of me."

"Fret not, Silva." Julius stated. "As long as you're alive, you will have chances to redeem yourself, so for now, I order you to get some rest."

Nozel drapes his whole body underneath the white bedsheets.

"And as for you, Vermillion..."

Julius sees the Crimson Lion King Captain doing leg raises on his cot.

"... A missing arm isn't enough to keep the Stalwart Leomane down, ain't it?" Julius remarked.

"A grievous injury has long passed, Lord Julius." Fuegoleon stated. "I have no such excuses to slouch and neglect discipline."

"Keep at it, but mind your condition." Julius stated. "If not for poor Owen, then do it for me, then."

Fuegoleon nods right before picking up the 3lb. dumbbell over the _30lb._ one.

He then looks at Yuno, now doing handstand-push-ups despite said injures from the Dungeon Exploration and the Clover Capital Assault.

"A lively bunch here, for sure..." Julius commented.

"Lord Julius, I might suggesting giving Owen and the rest of the active medical staff a bonus and paid vacation at this rate." Marx suggested. "Because as far as I'm concerned, I'm afraid overworking him like me without compensation will result in the _obvious_..."

Yuno takes note of that statement and immediately goes back to his cot.

"... No rebroken bones?" Julius asked.

"By next week, I should be able to get used to my crutches." Yuno replied.

"Well, just make sure you don't overwork the doctors, understood?" Julius stated.

The doors then shut behind the Wizard King.

Yuno, now under his sheets, blankly stares at the ceiling.

Flashbacks of Asta's face being contorted with such _blatant cruelty_ -

Yuno shakes his head.

 _"No."_ He thought. _"That monster isn't Asta. Just some damn Demon using his body as a puppet."_

He grits his teeth as he begins to will his body to heal faster, so he can resume his training in order to stop that Demon from defiling his brother's memories.

Outside at the hallways, Julius and Marx return to the Wizard King's office.

At his desk, even more papers were stacked on top of the wooden surface.

"... Marx." Julius asked. "Is this karma for me dumping my work onto you for the past several years as Wizard King?"

Marx then walks away, coming back with a fresh bottle of ink and quill in hand, and a bright smile beaming on his face.

"Chop chop, Lord Julius."

* * *

 **Clover/Spade Borders, Twrch Trwyth Tavern, Caesar Village, Forbidden Realm, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)**

* * *

"And that's the last one!"

Dagda nails down the final plank on the broken rooftops.

"Oi, Cernunnos!" Dagda yelled through the roof. "Any sawdust or straw in your mouth?"

All he can hear through the roof was the loud snoring of the short half-elf, half-dwarf.

"... Bastard can sleep through a world war if he wants to." Dagda mumbled as he slid down from the roof. "Aw well, at least all I have to do now is wait for the drinks to come..."

From a distance, he saw Lugh and Cissonius come towards them, each carrying and dragging barrels of ale, beer, and wine.

"So, anything good?" Dagda asked the two men.

Cissonius shook his head.

"... This shit might as well be piss." The silver-haired half-elf remarked. "Seriously, not one good barrel of stoat around here. Just overpriced and cheap-ass beer made from wild millet."

"I am starting to doubt this Kingdom's tastes in the finer things that life has to offer." Lugh stated. "Even their finest wines from their breweries lack that certain... soul to it."

"Which reminds me..." Dagda asked. "... How the hell did you get barrels of wine? Because last I heard, those shite don't come cheap."

"... When I entered the winery, they just handed me several of these and told me to not harm them." Lugh remarked. "I'm fully aware that my magnificent presence is enough to make lesser men cower, but the inhabitants of the Clover Kingdom could stand to have _some_ backbone..."

"... Eh, put em in the back of the stock." Dagda stated. "We're serving Clover, so might as well serve em shit that they can actually take."

"Tell me when we get customers." Cissonius stated as he and Lugh headed inside.

"Now then..." Dagda stated as he looked at Twrch Trwyth's tusks. "... Methinks it's time to open shop for today."

He unfurls the banner and ties it up on the tusks.

"Now..." He then looks out over the Caesar Village. "...Moccus!"

"Here!"

A talking hog with a barrel tied onto its back bursts out of the tavern doors.

"Here." Dagda stated as he handed the hog a stack of flyers. "Go and advertise around town, tell em that if they want to experience a Spade Kingdom's tastes."

"Yessir!"

The hog then makes its way towards the village.

"... Hm. I should go and clean up the mugs." Dagda remarked.

"Umm... hello?"

He then looks behind him, and sees a haggard-looking man with a goatee, holding the flyer advertising the Twrch Trwyth Tavern.

"Oh, a customer already?" Dagda asked. "How many people?"

"Can you house over a dozen?" He asked.

From the hill behind the goateed man, a cart filled with people comes up from the hill behind him.

"... One moment."

Dagda then rushes back into the tavern.

"CISSO!" Dagda cried out. "WE'VE GOT CUSTOMERS!"

"How many?" Cissonius spoke out from the kitchen.

"HOW ABOUT FULL HOUSE!?"

"... THAT EARLY!?" He cried out. "SHIT, I WASN'T DONE WASHING THE DISHES!"

The doorbell rings, bringing in several people into the tavern building.

Dagda then begins counting how many people were inside.

"Three... nine... fifteen..." Dagda mumbled out. "... Well, shite, full house."

He then turns towards the gathered customers.

"So, name's Dagda, and I'll be your host today." Dagda stated as he handed them out their menus. "Need some time to decide?"

The man with the goatee nods.

"Alright, ring the bell on the counter if you're ready." Dagda stated. "I gotta tell the others a few things."

The short blond then heads upstairs behind the counter, knocking on each door in the hallways.

"Aengus!" Dagda yelled through the door. "We've got customers!"

 _"Coming!"_

The silver-haired girl comes out of the door, tying her apron as she made her way downstairs.

"That's one." Dagda stated as he walked down the dorm-like halls of the second floor of the tavern. "Now what of Cernunnos..."

He presses his ear against the wooden door, still hearing snoring.

"... Ugh, bastard's still out." Dagda grumbled. "Forget it. He ain't eating."

He then looks at Danu's door.

"... Although this might change his mind." Dagda grinned as he knocked on the jotun girl's door.

 _"What is it captain?"_ A chipper female voice called out from the other side.

"Can you wake the wee bastard up?" Dagda asked. "We've got full house right now. It's all hands on deck!"

 _"Wait, what!?"_ Cernunnos's voice cried out. _"Why didn't you tell me!?"_

"Assumed you were still napping, as usual." Dagda pointed out.

 _"I was, until I started tasting sawdust and hay in my mouth!"_ He cried out through the doors.

 _"Oh, guess that woke you up then."_ Dagda thought. "C'mon, all hands on deck, including Danu, so get up up before I drag your arse out-"

Cernunnos opens the door, hair slicked back and clothes straightened out.

"Heard ya the first time, captain." Cernunnos grumbled out. "I'll wait for Danu downstairs."

"No need." Danu stated as she followed Cernunnos downstairs. "See you downstairs, captain."

"... That's three." Dagda stated. "Wonder if Lugh is still willing..."

He knocks on the wooden door near the window, with the sun beaming through it.

"Oi Lugh!" Dagda yelled through the door. "It's full house! We need you down here!"

The doors open, revealing the massive mustachioed man from the door.

"Ask, and thy shall receive." Lugh stated. "Sheeps shall be tended to their proper shepherd."

"... At least he didn't say no." Dagda stated as Lugh went downstairs. "Now then, that leaves... those two."

He then looks at the door, with purple steam seeping out of the door's edge.

"... Thank god we installed airproof flooring last year." Dagda mumbled out. "Bridgid! Is Ogmios in there!?"

 _"A little busy here!"_ Brigid's voice yelled from the other side. _"And I know, full house, right!?"_

"If you know, then get your arses down here already!" Dagda cried out. "Six people ain't enough to feed and serve an entire caravan!"

 _"Captain, slight problem."_ Ogmios stated. _"It seems that my [Memory Magic: Prenomination] is picking up that someone in black robes followed by other people will come into the tavern and apprehend all of the customers below."_

He then hears the doorbell ring, followed up by several, coordinated footsteps.

 _"On the behalf of the Clover Kingdom's Judicial Congress, we've been given clearance to search the tavern for these fugitives shown on the fliers."_ A stern voice stated. _"Everyone remove your hoods, or we'll do it for you."_

"Aw cripes."

Dagda then opens the door, seeing a tall and lean-looking man in black robes and slicked-back jet-black hair glowering over the customers, with the white-cloaked men searching the tavern.

"Oi!' Dagda hollered out. "The bloody 'ell's goin' on!?"

The lean man leading the cloaked men approach him, looking down at him with his dead-eyed gaze.

"We're here to apprehend sighted criminals." The man stated. "I am Damnatio Kira, current Chairman of the Justice Department of the Clover Kingdom, and the one who happens to be... _interested_ in your kind."

A panicked yipe was heard from one of the tables.

"Chairman!" A cloaked man cried out as he grabbed a pink-haired girl with a terrified look on her face by her wrist. "I've confirmed one of the fugitives! She's Fana, 'The Hateful' from Eye of the Midnight Sun, sir!"

"Wait, you got the wrong Fana!" Lotus cried out. "She's not with them anymore!"

"What are you waiting for, then?" Damnatio coldly replied. "Execute her."

"Yes sir!"

The girl then goes into a major panic attack, falling onto her knees as her breath quickened while a ball of mana was pointed next to her head.

"Fana!"

The whole tavern then goes into a frenzy, with the nomads and the cloaked men struggling against each other.

"Useless prattle." Damnatio stated as he opened his grimoire, materializing a balancing scale in hand.

The scale then falls to the left, with the weights stacking towards on one side.

"[Scale Magic: Confiscation]."

The nomads were weakened, allowing the cloaked men to suppress them with their own magic.

"Cease your useless struggling." Damnatio stated to the nomads. "You knew that from the moment that you filthy lot set foot into our kingdom, you knew that this was what was waiting."

The cloaked mages then aim their [Mana Bullets] at the restrained nomads.

"Farewell, densins of the Diamond Kingdom." Damnatio stated. "The only solace that I shall offer, is a painless death to _all_ of your miserable kind."

The [Mana Bullets] fire towards the nomads.

... Right before they disappeared before them.

"What?" Damnatio remarked.

"Oi buster..."

Appearing between the executioners and their executees, was Dagda, shortsword drawn from his sheath, and glaring at the black-robed man.

"If you're gonna kill someone, can you do it outside?" Dagda asked. "And if you're going to, mind you not doing it at my first customers on this kingdom? I'm askin' for a friend here."

Damnatio's scales lopsided side-to-side wildly, unable to pinpoint Dagda's presence.

"This magic..." Damnatio reacted in disgust. "... You're a _Demon_ , aren't you!?"

"Half-Demon, laddie." Dagda answered as he sheathed his sword. "... You've got a problem with that-"

"KILL THE DEMON!"

All of the cloaked mages begin firing their [Mana Bullets] at the half-Demon.

In a blink of an eye, Dagda draws his shortsword, too fast for a naked eye to see, and parries every last [Mana Bullet] fired at him with his blade before resheathing it back in.

"... What!?" Damnatio gasped out in disbelief. "H-H-HOW!?"

Dagda shoots his glare at the black-robed Chairman.

"Outside, or _I_ drag you and your posssy out instead." Dagda stated while pointing towards the door.

"You think I, Damnatio Kira, the very embodiment of justice of all Clover Kingdom, would cower before the likes you!? A savage from the Spade Kingdom!?" Damnatio barked at Dagda.

Dagda lets out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Lugh." Dagda asked the brawny mustachioed man. "Throw them out, _gently_."

"Ask, and thou shall receive." Lugh responded as he got up from the piano seat.

He then walks up to the stubborn Chairman.

"Who the hell do you think you are!?" Damnatio growled out. "Just who are you to look down upon _me_!?"

"Your superior." Lugh stated plainly. "But thankfully, a merciful one."

Damnatio tried to open his grimoire, then he saw that his pages were slowly being _burnt_ by its edges from this macho man's presence _alone_.

"And upon my mercy that thy shall bestow upon such creature like you..." Lugh stated as he lifted Damnatio up like a ball over his shoulder as Dagda rushed towards the window to open them.

"... I'll make sure that you land softly on your _deathbed_."

In a single motion of Lugh's wrist, Damnatio was thrown out of the open tavern window, flying in mach speeds towards location unknown, leaving behind a _sonic boom_.

"There." Dagda stated as he shut the shutters right before dusting his hands. "... Anyone else would like a tussle with Spade Kingdom's forever-feared 'Tyrant Terminal'?"

Lugh then flexes his arms and pecs, resulting in the overall straps around his broad shoulders _snapping_ from the extended force of his muscles, with the brass buckle smack dab right in one of the cloaked mage's nose.

"... R-RUN!"

The cloaked mages then all scramble towards the exit, with immense fear and panic in their collective expressions.

"And that's that." Dagda stated. "You've outdone yourself once more, Lugh."

"Nay." The mustachioed macho man replied plainly. "I was holding back, for they're naught my concern in the slightest."

"Umm..."

Behind them, a haggard-looking man with red hair approached them.

"Thank you for saving us, dear sirs." The haggard man stated. "Is there anyway that we can repay you?"

"Eh, just stay and be our first customers for today." Dagda stated. "... You've got money on ya, right?"

The man then shows them a bag of gold.

"Alright then." Dagda shrugged. "... Anybody ready to order?"

Lugh then looks down, and finds a severed head of a silver-haired male encased in a massive crystal.

"Hmm." Lugh stated. "... Better make sure."

He then spots the same, panicked pink-haired girl, both of her hands reaching out towards the head.

"... I am no one to judge of one's habits." Lugh stated as he handed the girl her male head. "Only their character and merit, I judge."

* * *

 **Wizard** **King's Office, Magic Knight Headquarters, Quatre, Noble Realm, Clover Kingdom (Late Afternoon)**

* * *

"Lord Julius, please tell me that you aren't serious." Marx sighed out as the medical staff left the office.

"Trust me, Marx." Julius replied through the mountains of his paperwork. "Knowing them, they would do this kind of shit regardless of circumstances."

"Hmph! And if they did, then I'd be more than happy to take on the rest of your workload!" Marx claimed.

The window pane behind Julius shatters, bringing in a battered figure into his office, and right on the trolley cot placed right in front of his desk, landing onto it right before said trolley rolls towards the doors.

"... You were saying, Marx?" Julius smugly asked out.

"You were planning this, weren't you?" Marx asked in a dreaded tone.

"That's my cue!" Julius beamed as he transformed into a medical staff member. "Consider this payback, Marx!"

Marx falls to his knees as Julius rolled away with the _brutalized_ Damnatio on the trolley, laughing triumphantly along each step taken away from his office.

"... I hate my job." Marxs whimpered right before the draft from the broken window pane sent the piles of paper slowly descending towards _him_.

* * *

 **Mimo Amazon, Clover/Heart Kingdom Borderlands (Evening)**

* * *

"Ugh..." Rades groaned out as he swatted another mosquito on his arm. "... Just how long we need to walk through this godforsaken jungle!?"

"It's better to walk through a jungle then spend the rest of our lives behind bars, Rades." Aleister stated.

"Oh shuddup!" He barked out. "We've been walking nonstop for three days straight, we only ate grubs and wild herbs along the way, it's getting fucking dark around here, and I'm sweating out an entire ocean here, godammit!"

"For once, we agree." Sally stated with her nostrils pinched. "The entirety of the Mimo Amazon smells way better than you."

"And last time I checked, NO ONE ASKED YOU, FLATTY!" Rades shrieked out.

"Excuse me, I'm growing towards B!" Sally huffed. "All of this physical exertion and high-protein diet of maggots has been a boon to my slightly underdeveloped frame, not that anyone was complaining about my body before then."

"Isn't that because last time you tried to date someone, that guy ended up with _three extra arms_ sprouting out of his back before breaking up with you?" Valtos pointed out.

"Eh, at least there's more of him to love." Sally remarked. "That, and well, he wasn't my type. Too old."

"He was _17_." Valtos pointed out.

"Rades~!" Sally whined. "If that boy ends up alive, can I fuck his brains out before I _literally_ fuck his brains out with my [Gel Magic]?"

"Keh. Either way, he's mine to play with." Rades spat out. "Help yourself."

Aleister sighs out as he pushed through another branch in his way.

"As much I'd like to hear more of your stories during your times at the old Eye of the Midnight Sun, may I remind you of the fact that we're trying to evade attention from the Clover Kingdom, so do all of us a favor and please keep the noise to a minimum, please?" Aleister begged.

"He's right." Valtos pointed out. "The sun hasn't completely set yet, and the fact that just because the Clover Capital is in shambles doesn't mean that word has spread of our presence."

"... If I didn't know you any better, I would've called you a smartass." Rades mumbled out.

"Eh, as long as we're kicking, might as well keep running." Sally pointed out.

The four then continue their way through the thicket as the night sky begins to set upon them.

"So..." Rades asked. "Just where are we even heading?"

Aleister moves a tree branch away from him.

"Visiting an old friend of mine." He stated. "If I remember correctly, she's living out here for over half a decade now, probably still rambling on about the Clover Kingdom calling her crazy..."

The three others continue to follow Aleister.

"We're here." Aleister stated.

All of them spot a small ditch in front of them.

"What the hell is this?" Rades asked.

Aleister then starts moving the rocks in the ditch.

"From the looks of it..." Sally commented as she noticed a broken pickaxe. "The ditch, the broken equipment, and a scrap cloth tied to a wooden shaft, and the fact that the ditch isn't natural..."

Valtos looks around the surrounding area.

"... A dig site?" Valtos spoke out. "But for what?"

Aleister tosses a loose boulder to the side.

"... My friend happens to be the one in charge of this abandoned dig site." He stated. "That is, right before the Clover Kingdom cut her funding in her expedition after no results were produced for three years."

"Three years?" Rades asked. "For what!?"

The last boulder was moves from the ditch, revealing a hole leading down towards elsewhere.

"I think you'll know when we get down there." Aleister stated as he struck the match. "Come on, don't keep our host waiting."

All four of them head into the hole, with Valtos sealing the exit behind them.

"What?" Valtos stated. "Might as well cover our tracks."

Aleister lets out a sigh right before he continues walking further into the darkness.

"Don't fall behind." Aleister stated.

All four of them continue walking down the tunnel, with Luck's body slung over Aleister's back.

"... So, Aleister?" Sally asked. "Just who is this person that we're meeting down here?"

"... Let's just say that she's a... like-minded person." Aleister stated. "I was thinking of introducing her to the Eye of the Midnight Sun after my initiation... that is, until the whole group went straight to hell during my... involuntary absence."

"Okay, but when did you two first meet?" Sally asked.

"... Okay, you know about the hermit that taught me how to make antivenom out of weeds?" Aleister stated. "She's the one who took me in and kinda saved my life."

"Oh great, an old hag's gonna join us." Rades groaned out.

"... About that." Aleister stated before gulping. "Whatever you do, _do not_ , bring up her _age_."

A dim glow of turquoise light was seen from a distance.

"... Alright, people." Aleister stated. "We're here."

The four of them enter through the light, out of the pitch-black and into this underground world.

The four were then presented with an ancient city, with glowing turquoise lines of light traced all over the impeccable building and roads, all of this ancient cavern, brimming with mana, the darkness being illuminated by the leylines snaking all over this underground civilization.

"Oh my..." Sally covered her mouth with her sleeves. "... This is quite... extraordinary."

"To think such thing even existed..." Valtos muttered out. "... Something tells me that this place is beyond ordinary."

"What the hell is this place?" Rades gasped out.

"This, lady and gentlemen, awake and not, is _Agartha_."

Behind them, a short, violet-haired female with a pair of large round-lensed glasses on her face, a black beret propped on top of her head, a lacy-black tube top with a pair of shorts under her oversized trenchcoat hung over her miniature shoulders, and a pair of simple black hiking boots strut across the glossy-slate floor of the ancient city.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet _Helena Blavatsky_." Aleister stated to the three members. "Also known as the 'Exemplar of Knowledge', the 'Oracle of the Past', the 'Archaic Archivist', and to me, the one who taught me how to make medicine."

"Flattering." The short woman stated. "So, Crowley, who's the kid on your back?"

"Oh, him?" Aleister pointed out. "Just a kid that black-eyes back there took interest in. And FYI, I go by _Aleister Crowley_ now."

"Eh, sounds a helluva lot better then Asher, kiddo." Helena commented. "So let me restate my previous statement, who the hell are these brats behind you?"

"Hey, who you calling us brats, you twat!?" Rades barked out.

"Excuse me!?" Helena replied.

"Cover, now!" Aleister barked out as he ran behind one of the buildings.

A magic circle forms beneath Rades's feet.

"[Light Trap Magic: Karma Clause]!"

A pillar of light blasts out beneath Rades, engulfing him in a massive eruption of scorching radiance.

"There." Helena scoffed as she dusted her hands. "Talk down to me at own damn peril, got it, you damn rat?"

"Yes ma'am." Rades replied in a blank tone, completely covered in soot.

"Whoa!" Sally remarked. "So you've got [Light Magic] like Lord Licht?"

"Dunno who this Licht is, but sure as hell I do, missy." Helena replied. "Although unlike the typical rudimentary usage of [Light Magic] involving speed and power, mine is more leaned towards more... shall we say, more passive roles."

"Such as your usage of using [Light Magic] as [Trap Magic], correct?" Sally pointed out.

"... Hmm, you got the right idea, but I can assure you, that was only the beginning." Helena teased.

"Show me more, please!" Sally requested.

"Sorry kiddo, not now." Helena waved her away. "I only use magic when I need to, like how I needed to put that little shitstain in his place."

Sally pouts as Helena walks towards Aleister.

"... Umm, what?" Aleister asked her.

The tiny woman then drags his ear down to her.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow!" The ragged mage cried out. "What the hell!?"

"So like I said, you brat." Helena asked, hal-growling. "Just what the are you doing here with these brats down here, and may I reiterate, what do you want!?" She hissed out.

"O-O-Okay, first I came here because the four of launched an assault on the Clover Kingdom Capital, Quatre, and now we're wanted people, and now, we need a place to hide."

Helena lets go of his ear lobe, and turns to the others.

"You three!" Helena asked the three other Eye of the Midnight Sun affiliates. "Come over here for sec. I need to talk to you all for a bit."

The three then head towards the two affiliates, and are led into one of the buildings in Agartha.

The room itself was furnaced with preexisting stone furniture, stacked with books piled high up into the ceiling, half-melted candles welded onto the floor, the wicks still burning, and at the end of the room, was a hammock hung from the ceiling.

"How long you've been living here?" Valtos asked.

"Since they left." Helena replied. "They called me crazy. They all said that the city of Agartha was only a myth, a legend, a goddamn fad created by some child made. Well who's laughing now, huh!? Who's discovered the long-lost city of Agartha when she was told that she was crazy to search of such thing in the first place, huh!? JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM-"

"Helena!" Aleister barked out.

The tiny woman ceases her nonsensical and long-repressed rambling.

"... You're doing it _again_." Aleister pointed out.

"... R-Right." She mumbled out as she adjusted her glasses. "... Just set the boy wherever."

The stubbled mage sets down Luck's body next to him.

"Now then..." Helena stated. "First of all, _thank you_."

All three (sans Aleister) blink.

"... What." Rades muttered out.

"No seriously, thank you for finally putting those arrogant and unappreciative bastards in their place, because now, I check off 'burn down Quatre' off of my bucket list."

She then heads over to one of the walls in the room, lighting a candle nearby with a pair of flints, revealing a disturbingly long checklist.

She then uses her [Light Magic] to shoot a ray of light, burning off the uppermost sentence from the list.

"There." Helena stated. "Now I _might_ be forgiving you lot for the fact that you've pretty much pissed off the whole Kingdom, but I sort of knew what I was in for, so there's that."

"... You're welcome?" Valtos replied in confusion.

"Whoa tiger, not so fast." Helena pointed out. "I ain't done talking."

She then sets herself on the hammock.

"Now then, onto the main topic." She stated. "For starters, you're all aware that you're in the long-lost city of Agartha, a civilization of a millennial-long legacy that people up and forgot about. And now, once formerly my sole utopia of unbridled research and enlightenment, is now housing four highly-wanted terrorists that have ripped the Clover Kingdom a new one."

All four of them nod in agreement.

"So tell me..." She asked. "... What brought you to all this?"

Aleister sighs out.

"... You want me to her?" He asked the others.

Rades and Sally shrugs.

"... She has the right to know, for the fact that she's willing to shelter us in the first place." Valtos pointed out. "Not only that, but something tells me that she knows more then she's letting on."

"Alright." Aleister stated. "I'll tell you."

Aleister then faces Helena.

"... Those three were, in fact, attacked by a _Demon_."

* * *

 **Gallows Forest,** **Hidden Dark Elf Village, Forbidden Realm, Clover Kingdom (Evening)**

* * *

"Hey Claudius..." Astaroth called out the distraught Fallen Angel.

The dejected Ars Goetia commander turns his head towards his liege, sitting on a pile of uprooted trees, underneath the full moon's light.

"Yes milord?" Claudius stated dejectedly.

"... Can you tell me what's really going on?" Astaroth asked. "Seeing you suffer in silence like this... I can't ignore it anymore, so please tell me..."

Astaroth places his hand on Claudius's shoulder.

"... What's going on?"

Claudius places his hand on his liege's.

"... Milord, allow me to put in the frankest way possible."

The Fallen Angel stands up and faces his lord.

"... _Time_ itself is _broken_."

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Had to squeeze this out amidst of the college stretch.

This Saga was meant to be a bit longer in length, but I thought that for the sake of in-story realism, I thought breaking the next part down into smaller parts would do the trick.

Not only that, mid-writing plans have shifted. The Marie-kidnapping arc will be put on hold for a bit.

 **Helena Blavatsky: Kanemoto Hisako (JPN), Jad Saxton (ENG)**

So what do think of this Epic?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd love to know what my audience is thinking!


	30. Saga 30: Diary of a Madman Part 1

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 30: Diary of a Madman Part 1**

* * *

 **Underground City of Agartha, Mimo Amazon, Clover/Heart Kingdom Borderlands** **(Evening)**

* * *

"Hmm..." Helena grumbled. "Asinine, but considering the following, and the fact that Aleister has no reason to lie to me..."

"What I've done to you to make me less credible?" Aleister asked.

"The fact that you were supposed to visit me a month after we first met." She replied bitterly. "Also, no. Your absurdly-bad luck is irrelevant to your possible complaints."

The bespectacled mage grumbles.

Meanwhile, as the two squabble, Rades, Valtos, and Sally all exchange glances at each other awkwardly.

"So why are even sitting around here?" Rades pointed out.

The other two look at Rades with judgemental expression their faces.

"... What?" The necromancer asked.

"You do realize that this whole place might be trapped, right?" Valtos pointed out.

"True, true." Sally reaffirmed. "I'm reading this whole Agartha place's mana right now, and let me tell ya, she's got this whole damn city on lockdown."

"Peh." Rades scoffed as he got up. "Like a few traps are gonna stop me-"

Another pillar of light engulfs Rades, frying him.

"... You okay, buddy?" Sally asked the necromancer in burning heap.

"... Eat a... dick." Rades bit out.

"[Karma Clause], bitch." Helena spoke from the other side of the room. "Not all traps spring once before they're done. So much as try anything funny, _that'll_ happen again."

Rades grumbles incoherently.

"He's fine." Sally reassured. "So anyway, traps everywhere, don't move from where we stand, otherwise we'll end up like him?"

"Mm hm." Helena stated.

"So Miss Blatvisky?" Crowley asked. "I have a favor to ask..."

"You want to stay here and make this your new base of operations for your Neo Eye of the Midnight Sun?" Helena pointed out. "I'll bed, but I got a few conditions."

Sally then notices Aleister's face turning slightly pale upon the lilac-haired lady's words.

"Can't be that bad, can it-"

Sally was then cut off by Valtos gagging her mouth with his hand.

"... Don't jinx it, Sally." The black-eyed mage stated. "I don't know what's going on, but we say something dumb, we might end up getting more than we bargained for."

"Oh don't worry." Helena stated. "I ain't asking for much..."

Aleister torques his head back towards the two mages.

His mouth than begins to move in a way that he's speaking, but without the words.

 _"... We... are... fucked... brace... yourselves?"_ Valtos read Alister's lips.

"One!" Helena demanded. "Allow me to join your little Neo Eye of the Midnight Sun..."

"Sure, welcome aboard-"

"... As the second-in-command to Mr. Scrawny over there." She demanded.

"OH SCREW YOU-*Incoherent screams of unspeakable pain*-BLEH."

Rades then falls into a burnt heap after [Karma Clause] triggered once again.

"Don't give me lip, boy." Helena stated right before she continued with her demands. "Two, allow me to handle this group's recruitment policies. Because as far as I'm concerned, your current members consist of a walking disaster area, a mad scientist with a borderline sexualized fetish for putting someone under the knife, a necromancer with poor impulse control, and the only one who's relatively sane here happens to be a total bore."

"... Wait, I'm boring?" Valtos asked.

"what else do you call yourself, then?" Helena asked.

The [Spatial Magic] user then thinks for a moment before coming up with nothing.

"Thought so." Helena pointed out "Anywho, I happen to know people who's willing to throw themselves into your lot, and those guys are no slouch in their field, so don't worry about them being dead weight."

Sally and Valtos look at Alister for confirmation.

"She has no reason to lie." He replied. "I looked into some those people that she previously mentioned, and let me tell you, those guys are high-profile consummate professionals. Take my word for it."

"Just who are you referring to?" Valtos asked.

"Isaiah Newton, user of [Gravity Magic], Nikolai Tesla, master of [Plasma Magic], Maston Edison, another [Light Magic] user like Helena, Andrew Watermark, [Blood Magic] specialist, and finally, Orme Corovan, the [Poison Magic] doctor that tried to branch out into [Recovery Magic], but... you can figure out the rest, right?" Alister stated.

Sally and Valtos look at each other.

"... Better than nothing." Valtos stated.

"I happened to notice a few of those names, and let me tell you, they're legit." Sally pointed out. "Some of them are more of a kook than me, but there's no harm adding them into our ranks."

"Something tells me that you knew them personally." Valtos pointed out.

"... Maybe." She looked towards the side.

"Who?" Valtos pointed out.

"The one who's always covered head to toe in black leather robes and wears that pointy-nosed mask with tinted circle lenses." She replied.

"Ah, Corovan then." Helena stated. "And finally, my third request..."

The lilac-haired mage then picks up an unlit candlestick to her side, lights it, and stands up.

"... I'd like the four of you to come with me." Helena stated. "And yes, that includes you too, Rades. So get your ass up, or [Karma Clause] will do the whole 'waking' part, if you know what I mean."

"I'm up." Rades then immediately got up upon hearing those words.

"Good. Move your ass." Helena stated as she led the other four out of the room.

The five continue to walk down the lost city's dimly-lit streets, the translucent-azure lights illuminating the dark-slate stones that compose the underground civilization.

"... So where we heading-"

"Quiet, you." Helena cut off Sally's question.

The five continue to walk towards a large mausoleum-like building up ahead.

As they approached the building, they being to climb up the stairs leading towards the pitch-black entrance.

 _"... Ugh, this place reminds me of home."_ Rades thought bitterly. _"I've spent the last 20 years of my life trying to get away from a crypt, and yet, here I am..."_

The five then enter into the mausoleum, only for the entrance behind them to shut tight, trapping them in utter darkness.

"HOLY CRAP!" Rades cried out. "SOMEONE TURN ON THE LIGHTS! I CAN'T SEE SHIT!"

Something then hits him in the back of the head, knocking him out cold.

"... Thank you for the silence, now I can focus on finding where the damn thing is-got it!"

The center of the room then lights up in the same, vein-like lines of translucent-azure light, illuminating the mausoleum inside.

Upon the now-lit domain, the five find a hallway leading further into the tomb ahead.

"Come on, kiddos." Helena stated. "Try not to get lost."

But before they can head down the hallway, Helena then points towards Aleister.

"Just how long are you going to carry that boy around?" She pointed towards the blond boy holstered around his back. "I swear, if he starts to smell, I'll clean it up myself."

"Nah, he's a long-term investment." Aleister stated. "Either some crazy-ass miracle wakes him up, or worst-case-scenario, Rades gets [#14: Luck] added to his [Soul Corpse Magic]."

"... Oh!" Sally remarked. "Lucky number 7 times 2 equals 14!"

"Hm, now that I take a closer look at him..." Helena stated as she too a closer look at the corpse-like boy. "... Despite being _physically dead_ , his body is _still_ producing mana, and lots of it, too."

The three then continue to ponder at this enigma.

"Bah, we ain't gonna get anywhere like this." Helena stated. "Like I said, let's bounce."

Alister then picks up Rades over his shoulder right before the rest of the Neo Eye of the Midnight Sun members headed further into the mausoleum.

As they began to walk down the dimly-lit halls of the tomb, the mages began to take notice of portraits carved into the stone walls of the mausoleum around them.

The murals on the walls depicted the following:

Demons.

Angels.

Humans.

Elves.

Dwarves.

Jotuns.

Witches.

... All of them, in a field of flames and carnage, displayed as the anarchic orgy as it is.

"What the hell?" Valtos remarked at the portraits. "... Just what is all this!?"

"Oh, you wish to know?" Helena replied. "Well listen up, kiddies..."

She then stops her pace to a halt.

"... As I tell you the story of the [Armageddon]."

* * *

 _At first, there existed nothing but the void._

 _There was no life, no light, no darkness, nothing._

 _Everything was a perpetual vacuum. A "world" that couldn't be defined as a "world"._

 _Then, from the depths of the utter darkness, a light emerged._

 _That light, was known as the [Origin]._

 _With its mere presence, [Light] and [Dark] were created, and from the newly-created disparity, [Time] and [Spatial] were created as its byproducts._

 _And after the first day, the void was no more, and everything began to move._

 _As everything began to move further, the [Origin] began to move with the flow._

 _[Earth], [Water], [Fire], and [Wind] were created, as its sole purpose behind its creation was to move with this new dynamic._

 _As [Earth] began to move, [Tree]s began to sprout, ground into [Sand], hardened into [Stone], flow into [Lava], as everything else continued to move._

 _As [Water] began to move, [Mist] rose from it, broke into [Bubbles], solidified into [Ice], fell into [Snow], as everything else continued to move._

 _As [Fire] began to move, [Smoke] dispersed into the air, scattered into [Ash], emitted out [Heat], descended as [Lightning], as everything else continued to move._

 _As [Wind] began to move, [Clouds] formed in the skies, [Air] began to dance, [Sound] emitted from the dynamics, stirred into a [Storm], as everything else continued to move._

 _As the it continued to move, the [World] became reality, and the [Four Elements] that composed of this [World] continued to move._

 _From the continued movement, [Creation] began to take form, [Ocean]s, [Mountain]s, [Land]s, and the [Sky] enveloped the [World]._

 _As the [World] began to take form, [Life] taken root into the world._

 _It began with [Beast]._

 _From [Beast] came [Soul] and [Blood]._

 _From [Soul] and [Blood] came [Life]._

 _From [Life] and [Creation], the first [Human] walked the [Earth]._

 _The [Human] than began to move with the rest of the [World]._

 _As the [Human] continued to move in the [World], the trails left behind its footprints left behind residual energy._

 _The energy, along with [Human] and the [World], began to move._

 _As the [Human] continued to move, more [Humans] appeared into this [World], growing, multiplying, prospering, learning, evolving, and eventually, ruining.  
_

 _The [World], the very same that the [Humans] walk upon, has been brought to utter ruin by their ceaseless growth._

 _From ruin, a [Forbidden Aspect] was defined._

 _[Death], the absence of [Life] and [Creation]._

 _To confront [Death], the [Origin] awakes once more, and with [Creation], more [Life] was formed to prosper onto the [Earth] to prosper._

 _With the new [Humans], the energy left behind by the first [Humans] were implanted into them._

 _The energy came to be known to be as [Mana], the will of the [Origin] itself._

 _With the [Humans] with [Mana] inside of them, prospered even greater than the first [Humans]._

 _With [Mana], the new [Humans] learned [Creation]._

 _With [Creation], the new [Humans] learned [Magic], and gained control over the [Four Elements]._

 _With the continued usage of [Magic] the [Humans] then began to extend the concept of [Creation] unto themselves._

 _To the [Humans] who mastered the flow of [Mana], became known as [Elves], blessed by [Wind]._

 _To the [Humans] who held in the most [Mana] inside of their bodies, evolved into [Jotuns], blessed by [Water]._

 _To the [Humans] who learned how to [Mana] at its utmost, grew into [Dwarves], blessed by [Earth]._

 _To the [Humans] who created the most uses of [Mana], were later known as [Witches], blessed by [Fire]._

 _To the [Humans] who became [Mana] itself, ascended towards the [Origin] as [Angels], blessed by [Light]._

 _To the [Humans] who were rejected by [Mana], another [Forbidden Aspect] was formed._

 _[Mutation], the act of warping of a [Human]'s physical body beyond recognition._

 _From [Mutation], birthed [Demons], the hard opposite of all [Mana], blessed by [Dark]._

 _However, the [Origin] took measures to make sure that the new dynamics don't destroy the [World] that it created._

 _First, the [Humans] who were being created, now no longer evolve into [Elves], [Jotuns], [Dwarves], [Witches], [Angels], and [Demons]. They will remain as [Human] while still retaining their ability to use [Magic]._

 _Second, the species mustn't establish contact with each other, and be cut off from each other in order to prevent conflict. [Humans] shall live exclusively on the created [World], [Angels] and [Demons] will live close to the [Origin], watching from afar, and the [Elves], [Jotuns], [Dwarves], and [Witches] will live on as embodiments of [Mana], perpetuating the [Four Elements] so that the [World] may continue to move._

 _And finally, above all else, [Mana] shall be the only "truth" of this [World]. For the [World] is just as alive as the [Life] inhabiting it. Even [Demons], who are the opposite of [Mana], shall represent as the opposite of [Mana]._

 _With those measures taken, the [World] continued to move._

 _But as the [World] continued to move, [Life] began growing too fast, to the point that they slowly began to breach the established boundaries set up by the [Origin]._

 _From their knowledge collective knowledge of [Magic], they've learned [Recovery], created by [Elves] to create the ability to revitalize [Life] within a living being, [Curse], created by [Demons] to give them the ability to slowly eat away at [Life] within a living being, [Invocation], created by the [Angels] to give them the ability to mimic and project [Life], [Trap], created by [Witches] to give them the ability to control one's own [Magic] at their convenience, [Reinforcement], created by the [Jotuns] the ability to lengthen one's own [Life], and for the [Humans]..._

 _... With their [Creation], they've forged another [Forbidden Aspect]._

 _[Summon], the ability to breach the boundaries diving physical and spiritual, material and ethereal, [Life] and [Death] no longer pens them._

 _Eventually, the [Humans] breached the boundaries separating them from the other races, and upon reuniting with each other after countless millennia..._

 _... They began to destroy each other, not knowing who the other was, other then the fact that they weren't them._

 _This breach of worlds, resulting in the total extinction of all seven races, the scouring of the century long-forgotten, was [Armageddon]._

* * *

"Holy shit..." Sally gasped out was they walked down the dim halls of the mausoleum. "... Did I just hear the origins of how all magic came to existence!?"

"That's one interpretation that I've come up with during my time studying these murals." Helena pointed out. "There's also the perspective that someone somehow managed to record this whole 'lost century', a mythology created by some loon to justify the workings of this world, or..."

The lilac-haired mage stops in her tracks.

"... Or this whole story might be our _eventual future_." Helena revealed. "Want proof?"

She then moves her candlelight closer to the walls, illuminating them brighter in that one spot.

The light then reveals images of people looking like _Sally_ , _Valtos_ , and _Rades_ being sacrificed towards a tree-like symbol.

"... Explain." Aleister demanded.

"I will." She stated. "But first..."

Helena then opens her grimoire, and upon seeing that, Aleister drops Rades.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!"

Rades is then fried awake by Helena's [Karma Clause].

"... Wat da hell... you bitch..." Rades moaned out. "... It's still nighttime, let me... get some shuteye..."

"My house, my rules." Helena replied dryly. "And rule #1, prepare to go night-owl at a moment's notice, because archeology waits for no one but the quick and the bold!"

Rades grumbles incoherently as he got up from his smolden squalor.

"... Waitaminute." The necromancer grumbled out. "... Is that... _me_?"

"Good, you're up to speed." Helena cut in. "While I was listening to Mr. Unlucky's story..."

"I go by as 'The Unfortunate'." Aleister interjected.

"Too long, too bad." Helena snapped. "So anyway, while I was listening to his story, I started taking notes of the descriptions of the... shall we say, 'people of interest' that you've brought up."

She then moves her candle around the same segment of the wall.

"A boy with a [Sylph]..." Helena pointed towards the black-haired youth with a single green wing protruding out of him.

The candle then moves to a ash-gray-haired youth with black markings on his face, a pair of black, bat-like wings coming out of his back, and wielding a massive blade blade in his hands.

"... And I assume this is the so-called Fallen Angel that did away your previous group?" Helena stated. "Especially since he's the one who just flat out _walked through_ all of your combined magic like a goose treading water..."

The three former members of the previous Eye of the Midnight Sun all stared at their former-assailant's visage carved into the stone walls in pure _horror_.

"Wait..." Valtos spoke out. "... Miss Blatvisky, can you move your light back towards us?"

The light then moves back towards where the three of them were at, their souls being ripped out of their bodies, enveloped in a pillar of light.

"... A little upwards towards the tree, please."

The light then reveals _Licht_ , consuming their souls, along with presumably everyone else's.

"... No. NO! THIS CANNOT BE!"

Valtos then crumples into a heap.

"THIS IS ALL LIES, I TELL YOU!" Valtos cried out. "LORD LICHT WOULD NEVER BETRAY US! NOT AFTER WHAT HE DID FOR US AND WHAT WE DID FOR HIM! OUR LIVES, OUR SOULS, OUR DEDICATION! HE WOULD NEVER TAKE US IN JUST TO USE US!"

"... Strawman's point of view." Helena interjected in Valtos's meltdown. "But in hindsight, did this 'Licht' guy owe you _anything_? If so, name em'."

... The black-eyed mage couldn't think of _anything_ , at all.

"... We were _deceived_." Valtos whimpered out. "All this time, we were seduced by his honeyed words of false empathy and compassion, all just so that he can use and dispose of us like the _damned_ Nobles that we were supposed to be purging of..."

"Eh." Sally remarked with apathy. "That bridge's been already crossed. I ain't mad anymore."

"And he's my bitch now, so... no complaints here." Rades stated. "Hell, even before this, I really didn't care as long as I got to rip the Clover Kingdom a fresh new one."

Valtos then gets up and faces Rades.

"... Can you bring [#0: Licht] out?" Valtos asked in a _disturbingly calm_ tone.

Rades then looks at Valtos's pitch-black eyes.

"... Alright, but play nice." Rades replied as he brought out his former leader's mummified corpse.

The black-eyed mage then pounces down upon the cadaver and begins beating the corpse with his bare knuckles, wailing and sobbing with a cocktail of unbridled _rage_ and grief of betrayal.

"... Whoa there." Aleister remarked at Valtos's display of unbridled barbarism. "... I only saw this kind of shit while reading romantic thrillers and horror novels."

"Art imitates life, kiddo." Helena commented. "... Wanna keep looking at this little revelation while he... _grieves_?"

The two nod awkwardly.

"Wait." Aleister spoke out.

He then points out the illegible writing below each person carved into the stone mural.

"... What kind of language is this?" The Unfortunate pointed out. "I've never seen scripture like this..."

"... Oh?" Helena remarked. "Are you referring to [Sanskrit]?"

"... [Sanskrit]?" Sally asked.

"The chicken-scratches that you see before you." Helena explained. "I've managed to translate this former chicken scratch from the current alphabet, and lo and behold, managed to discover the phrase [Sanskrit], the ancient language of the ones who dwelled in the depths of Agartha."

The three unoccupied then skrimp over the description written below each character.

"... What does this say under the people that looked like the Fallen Angel?" Sally pointed out.

Helena then moves closer towards the ash-gray-haired character.

"... They refer to this so-called Fallen Angel as... [The Redeemer], oddly enough." Helena stated. "And for the life of me, I still can't figure out why he's referred as such, despite your claims of him..."

"Well, all I know was that he kinda split me down the middle, from _torso-up_." Sally remarked.

Helena give the newly-anointed "The Faithless" a flat stare.

"... Ignoring that." Helena stated flatly.

"Well then, what the hell does that say, then?" Rades pointed towards the raven-haired character with a green-colored grimoire.

"... They call this one, [The Hero]." Helena stated. "Although this baffles me even more, since the titular [The Hero] ain't featured much compared to the so-called [The Redeemer]."

"... Something tells me that the Agarthans's view of this history seems rather... _mislabeled_." Aleister pointed out.

"Isn't that _all_ of history in hindsight?" Sally pointed out.

"... Damn, you got me there." Aleister muttered out. "But still, having partial evidence is better than no evidence at all, right?"

"True." Helena stated as she moved her candle closer to the [Sanskrit] text. "... Oh, and Rades dear?"

"What?" The necromancer replied in a dour tone.

Helena then points downwards towards her feet, revealing an expanding pool of black liquid coming from his [#0: Licht].

"... OH SHIT!" Rades cried out in panic. "VALTOS! HEEL! HEEL!"

The necromancer then tries to pry the raving black-eyed mage off of his magnum opus.

"... So while those two take care of their... affairs." Helena spoke over the two's grunts of struggle and pseudo-violence. "Shall we continue to look over the murals and figure out what they really mean?"

"Didn't you already figure them out during your time here?" Aleister pointed out.

"True, true." Helena replied. "... But with the new evidence that you've presented to me, I'm thinking that connecting the dots here is a bit more... fun, shall we say."

"I like you, Miss Blatvisky. _Platonically_." Sally stated. "I appreciate someone who appreciates the intellectual side of magic."

"Then we'll get along just fine, Sally." Helena replied with a slight chuckle. "Shall we resume?"

The two then take a closer look at the [Sanskrit] writings on the walls, while Aleister makes sure that Rades doesn't end up kill Valtos, or vice-versa.

 _"... What a team."_ Aleister thought.

* * *

 **Gallows Forest,** **Hidden Dark Elf Village, Forbidden Realm, Clover Kingdom (Evening)**

* * *

"... What do you mean, time itself is broken?" Astaroth pointed out. "Claudius, just what the hell are you hiding from me?"

"I'm sorry, milord..." Claudius tearfully apologized. "... But the overall situation has shifted so drastically that I had no choice but to reveal it until now-"

"Okay, okay, okay, just calm down for a sec." Astaroth stated. "Take a few deep breaths before you choke."

The Fallen Angel then breathes in and out for a minute before resuming to speak.

"... Once more, apologies, milord." Claudius stated. "... And before we start, yes, I've been hiding some rather crucial details from you since your advent."

Astaroth then sits down on the chipped rock.

"Alright." The Prince stated. "Where do you start?"

"I'd like to hear it for myself as well."

Behind the split tree, Thor appears.

"... There's no use hiding it from you lot anymore, isn't there?" Claudius stated as he spotted the other Dark Elves and the rest of Ars Goetia appear out of the darkness.

"Now that I think about it, you've been rather inconsistent on filling us in..." Belial muttered out as she hid herself behind the intact tree.

"We have the right know, since we're allies and all." Odin pointed out.

"Fret not." Claudius stated. "I have no intentions of hiding anything from you anymore."

"Then spill it." A Fallen Angel spoke out. "Just what is it that you're hiding?"

Then the other Fallen Angels and Dark Elves begin clamouring at the Ars Goetia's leader to reveal what he's been hiding.

"Alright." Claudius stated, causing everyone to cease their clamouring.

The Fallen Angels, the Dark Elves, and Astaroth himself listened carefully.

"Before Claudius Nero Bael, there was once an Archangel named _Lucifer_."

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**... Goddamnit, the whole gradual writer's block has been a real bitch.

Midterms, DREAM, Mandatory Freshman Advising, and other college-related shit has been bogging me down.

Thank god I'm starting get use to this shit, but I might be speaking too soon before this whole crap restarts all over again.

So might-be-rushed world building, and slightly-stressful schedule aside, please make of what you will of this short-ass Saga.

Oh, and for context, the mural carved in Agartha's mausoleum are literally canon Black Clover scenes, drawn in a Wind Waker-esqe artstyle. Make of that what you will.

With that said, what do readers think of this Saga?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd love to hear what my audience are thinking!


	31. Saga 31: Diary of a Madman Part 2

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 31: Diary of a Madman Part 2**

* * *

 **Gallows Forest,** **Hidden Dark Elf Village, Forbidden Realm, Clover Kingdom (Evening)**

* * *

"... Explain." Astaroth spoke out. "Archangel? Time is broken? _Lucifer_? Just what the hell's going on?"

"This is the first I've heard of all this coming from you, commander..." Belial stuttered out in shock.

"... Stop."

In the crowd, Odin and Phenex, two of the eldest of the Dark Elves and Fallen Angels walk towards Astaroth and Claudius.

"Now boy..." Phenex counseled the troubled Fallen Angels. "No one shall judge you now. Only after."

"... Very well." Claudius sighed out. "No secret can't be kept buried in the grave forever."

* * *

 _In the advent of Heaven, there were the Five Archangels of Completion._

 _Uriel, the_ _the Wise._

 _Raphael, the Healer._

 _Gabriel, the Messenger._

 _Michael, the Guardian._

 _And finally, the one closest to the [Origin], Lucifer, the Almighty._

 _The five were tasked to watch the flow of the world, as all things created grew, prospered, and returned to the earth, just as the [Origin] willed._

 _But, I do not know if this is was either through the will of the [Origin] or some cruel twist of fate, but one faithful day, everything changed._

 _A girl._

 _A human girl, inflicted with a fatal disease, against all odds, has cheated death._

 _I was to snuff out her will to live, but the fire kept burning, no matter how I tried to put it out, the girl refused to accept her fate._

 _I asked why._

 _She merely replied:_

 ** _"Not giving up is why I was born."_**

 _Those words resonated with the other four, but for me, I was confused beyond why this girl would defy the will of the [Origin]._

 _After all, it was the [Origin]'s will alone that the girl was even conceived to begin with, right?_

 _I tried to find out whoever was_ _responsible within out ranks was the one that cured the girl, assuming that one of the lesser angels had breached their boundaries and intervened._

 _But no one was responsible._

 _Then that human girl overcame her fate with her own hands._

 _The revelation that a mere mortal, who was sick and dying, had somehow defied fate that the [Origin] has ordained unto her, all in the name of gradually evolving all creation to their proper place?_

 _... It drove me mad._

 _For not for the sake of a human besting an Archangel, but now Heaven's position of power has now been called to question._

 _Eventually, it was because of that one girl's defiance that shook Heaven itself, we begin to question our power as Angels._

 _I on the other hand, continued to watch the girl's actions, with every miracle she performed, from communing with mana around her, gathering disciples of differing races together, and creating [Magic], I stayed my hand._

 _Partly due to the fact that I tried to convince myself that this was all in the will of the [Origin]..._

 _... With the rest of me being AFRAID of her._

 _By the time I decided to take action by rallying the entirety of Heaven against the girl's rampant defiance, I was too late._

 _She herself was at Heaven, along with her disciples, including the other four Archangels._

 _I was alone. Heaven itself had abandoned me._

 _And for the very first time in my existence, I defied._

 _I raged and tore apart my fellow Angels with my bare knuckles, along with the girl's disciples, ceasing all of my inhibitions so that I can rage without anything holding me back._

 _All for the sake... of KILLING THAT INSOLENT GIRL!_

 _But before I can wring the life out of that whore's neck with my bare hands, Uriel, Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael stop me._

 _... By impaling me with their swords made of [Water], [Wind], [Earth], and [Fire] respectively._

 _"... Why?"_

 _None of them said a word. Not even after my lifeless body plunged towards the earth below._

 _Like lightning. I broke though the land and breached into the depths of Hell._

 _And upon being fallen to the Ninth Circle of Hell, [Treachery], the Archangel Lucifer had died._

 _... And Sephira, the world very first mage, ascended towards Heaven, taking the now-vacant place as the fifth Archangel._

* * *

"Holy shit..." Astaroth gasped out. "That happened to you?"

"Funny how things work out when you simply procrastinate, isn't it?" Claudius answered. "Now do you know why I tend to freak out easily when things go even slightly awry?"

"Well I for one, cannot believe that our ancestors were beguiled by a _former human_." Thor spat out in disgust. "Not only they've destroyed our homes, but also they had the audacity to... TAME US LIKE MERE CATTLE!?"

In rage, the Dark Elf Chieftain runs towards a nearby tree and bashes his head against the trunk while screaming like a lunatic, spilling blood down the bark's surface with each consecutive ram.

"... Harrowing revelation aside, it does paint out ancestor's legacy in a rather different light." Odin commented. "But what of the other Fallen Angels How do they play in this grand mess that seemingly, the whole world was caught up in?"

Claudius faces the elderly Dark Elf with a shaking glare.

"... You have no, _fucking_ , idea."

* * *

 _[Treachery], the bottommost layer of Hell._

 _A chasm entrenched right above the Eighth Circle, its walls lined up with rows upon rows of blade-like teeth, constantly opening and closing, clamping down any foolish enough to try and escape._

 _Simply put, it was a literal maw embedded into the ground, keeping me and the other denizens captive at its murky throat._

 _When I first awoke, all I smelled was bile._

 _Bile secreted from the flesh-like walls and floors of the my new home._

 _Around me were [Stygians], the shadows of all of creations collective sins, the native denizens of Hell, and what the normal would define as a "Demon"._

 _And as for my wings..._

 _... Once pure-white arrangement of quills were now pitch black wisps, signifying my loss of status in Heaven, now as one of the Demons._

 _Even then, I refused to believe that I was usurped by a human upstart._

 _Immediately, I flew fast as I could as soon as the maw opened._

 _But as soon as I took flight, the maw closed between me, killing me instantly._

 _I open my eyes again, only to find myself at the bottom of the maw again._

 _... And in front of me was my dead body, now being eaten out by the [Stygian] populace._

 _I saw my previous body, looking like those [Stygians] while being eaten out like fresh meat, realizing that I was now one of them._

 _Unable to die, but forever bound in the depths of Hell below._

 _... Even then, I refused to yield to my fate._

 _So I flew up again, only for the maw to close into my body once again..._

 _... But this time, I was only half-crushed, but right before I got crushed into fine paste as the maw between me closed in once more._

 _I find myself back at the bottom again, now with the other Stygians feasting upon my paste-like corpse._

 _But now, something felt... different about my body._

 _It felt... even more dense, as if my muscles were... adapting to every death I go through here._

 _Just to reaffirm my hypothesis, I killed myself for the third time by getting crushing between the rows of teeth once again, noticing two distinct differences this time around:_

 _One, it took three consecutive clamps to crush my by into paste this time around._

 _And two, the maws closed into me faster and harder in my third attempt._

 _With that, I came up with this conclusion:_

 _The [Demons] in Hell cannot be killed the same way twice, and that Hell itself was going to respond appropriately with each adaptation._

 _So after roughly 963 deaths, I escaped [Treachery]._

 _... Only for the frigid winds of the Eighth Circle, [Fraud], to freeze me solid in a block of ice upon my escape, killing me once more._

 _My body became a little more resistant to the cold afterwards._

* * *

"Even after _963 attempts_ , there's _more_!?" Astaroth pointed out in surprise.

"Well, to be fair, Hell's hazards tend to get creative with how many ways a living being can get offed." Claudius replied. "Hell, if anything, the worst part about Hell is that you don't know how time works there. As far as I was concerned beforehand, I thought several centuries might've passed, only to be proven wrong, but that's a story for later on."

"So how does Hell work?" Sinmara asked. "What goes on in each layer?"

"... I'll keep it brief as possible."

* * *

 _The Ninth Circle is [Treachery], a literal maw in the earth that opens and closes on its own, and arguably, the easiest layer since it only has one, but extremely persistent hazard, that being the maw itself, which is not only partially alive, but also sapient enough to adapt like any other living being, growing accustomed to its captor's habits and actions._

 _The Eight Circle is [Fraud], a frozen wasteland with a perpetual blizzard that not only obscures one's vision completely, but said blizzard occasionally talks to you, feeding you misinformation or just an annoyance to one's mind, making one either take the wrong way out, or be lead around in circle, not taking into account that one is at the risk of freezing to death during their trek through this layer._

 _Should you come out of the Eighth, comes the Seventh Circle, [Violence], a perpetually-overgrowing forest where every living thing, from the trees, to the leaves, the fruit, the flowers, the waters, the stones, the ground you walk upon, and even the air you breathe, are trying to kill you, quick or slow, clean or messy, there's no distinction, and arguably, the most annoying layers to traverse through, with how you're most likely going to get killed every second passed._

 _After dealing with that annoying forest, comes the Sixth Circle, [Heresy], a vast desert with quicksands and pitfalls with super-sharp stalagmites at the bottom that can pierce through your adaptations, since impalement doesn't count as clamping, hidden practically everywhere, and even then, the surrounding heat in the desert will most likely air-fry you to jerky first._

 _Upon leaving the damned desert, comes the Fifth Circle, [Anger], a perpetually-stormy sea of actual blood, filled to the brim with the bodies of the fallen and the damned alike, with lighting coming down every millisecond, electrocuting the red, iron-rich waters to lethal voltages, the rain not only coming down at the velocity of ballista bolts, but are actual bolts of sharpened and partially-hardened blood, most likely to shred anyone to mincemeat should they stay out for too long._

 _Upon crossing the ocean, the next stop is the Fourth Circle, [Greed], a constantly shifting and moving cave system composed of gems, gold, silver, and whatever valuable mineral that's found on this earth, but all of that glitter emits out a collective gleam emitted is so bright that any newcomer will be guaranteed to go blind, and that's not counting the booby traps rigged everywhere, from pools of molten liquid gold to giant spiked boulders of crystal, gems, gold, and silver, all of that makes this layer the longest to traverse out of the nine, guaranteed to bore you to death after over 10,000 attempts of traversing, despite all the glamour and glitter._

 _By some miracle, shoulder you make it out of the cave, come the Third Circle, [Gluttony], a space completely devoid of gravity, without any light or darkness, and even though that makes this the easiest and the most safe of the nine layers, that's of itself is a hazard. It will drain your will to the point that all of your body's functions will cease functioning to the point of death, and if you're especially unlucky, you might end up losing some of your adaptations after your resurrection in the Ninth Circle. Make no mistake, get through it quickly as possible, or you'll suffer the consequences._

 _Then comes the Second Circle, [Lust], a vast, open sky where the winds blow freely in every direction possible... and by that, I mean you'll either be ripped apart in several directions or be pressed into a bloody meatball by the omnidirectional winds blowing and dancing around everywhere, and unlike other layers, it has infinite ways to kill anyone, ensuring that anyone who gets torn apart by its winds will never die the same way twice the next time they enter its skies._

 _Then between the Second Circle and the First..._

 _... Is the Demon King itself._

 _And its the place where all the Demons finish their journey, waiting for the perpetually-silent Demon King to issue its decree, waiting for the King to wake up from its dream._

 _The throne itself is a sight to behold._

 _With the throne's seat itself being composed of [Qilphoth], the Roots of Causality itself, siphoning down the souls of the damned to covert them into [Stygians] or any other Demons that reside in Hell._

 _And the back railing of the throne was the gate leading to the First Circle, [Limbo], the boundary between Creation_ _and_ _Hell_ _, Life and Death, Light and Darkness._

 _So after finishing my journey, I simply found myself in a barren wasteland where the other Demons simply did whatever they did. Gambling, fighting, eating or drinking each other, fucking, all of them were indulging in what aspect of sin that they were based off of, as the Demon King itself simply sat on its throne, dreaming, as its presence alone loomed over the other, lesser Demons, casting a titanic shadow over the wastes._

 _As I approached the Demon King, one of its eyes opened, looking at me._

 _It at that moment, that the other Demons stopped what they were doing, noticing that my presence partially awakened the Demon King._

 _Before I can even speak, one of its arms reached out towards me, grabbing me like a rag doll, as it brought me closer to its sole, open eye._

 _It only spoke out only one word._

 ** _YOU_**

 _Immediately, the gates on his throne partially opened a small gap, small enough for only me to fit through._

 _It shoves me through the gap, and casting me out of Hell and into the First Circle, [Limbo]._

 _As soon as my feet hot the black ground, I sunk through like a rock on a pond._

 _After drowning into the void, I slowly lost consciousness, as if I was dying once again._

 _... But upon opening my eyes, I found myself in the world of the living._

 _Not only as a Demon._

 _But as a Demon wearing human skin and bone._

* * *

"Wait, so you're saying that you were resurrected as a human while still keeping your Demon identity?" Odin pointed out. "Just what was the Demon King planning?"

"Yeah, because right now, it's kinda making no sense for me right now." Astaroth scratched his head in befuddlement.

"... Then prepare to listen, because it's going to get even _more convoluted_."

* * *

 _As I walked upon my new_ _surroundings, I begun to notice some... changes made while I was gone._

 _First, Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Jotuns, and even Angels were living together, with some of them interracially marrying each other, creating halfings everywhere._

 _Second, the once-primitive civilization wracked of plagues and sickness was no more, replaced by a society of extreme technological, social, spiritual, and conceptual advancement, with magic being the crux of their rapid advancement, resulting in a unified language, a harmonized world government, and a working calendar._

 _And finally, when I entered the central hub of advancement, a utopian metropolis built upon the very same place where I was struck down..._

 _... Was a statue of Sephira, her disciples, and the four Archangels that DARED TO BETRAY ME, HAILING THEM AS HEROES AND FOUNDERS OF THE CACOPHONY OF A SOCIETY THAT BUILD UPON THE LEGACY KNOWN OF THEIR DEFIANCE AND BETRAYAL!_

 _But even then, I stayed my hand._

 _I may be a Demon, but I was the only one that existed in the world of living._

 _The Demon King chose me for a reason, so I simply opted to wait for my time to strike._

 _I began studying how this society has grown as I watched out of sight. I gathered all kinds of information that I can learn in hopes of spiting the usurper's legacy. I steadily sowed discord and mistrust thorough playing the rumors that I became, spreading fear and panic throughout the populace, killing one living thing at a time, to remind them of their place._

 _And by the year of 666, on the sixth day of the sixth month, at least according to their calendar, I triggered my plan._

 _During this day, the world leader was visiting the central hub city to give a speech to the_ _denizens of the city as some sort of a commemoration._

 _So amidst the bustling crowd, I made my way towards the podium, close to the leader as possible._

 _The speech began, with the human woman leader giving an impassioned speech towards the crowd._

 _And against all logic, I killed her._

 _I got up on the stage, drew out my sharpened wooden stake, and ran it through her eye and out the back of her head._

 _The guards rushed me with their magic, and using what I learned from Hell, I evaded their futile attempts to subdue me, even killing a few in the process._

 _In the end, I did what I planned._

 _Incite chaos in a society that never saw conflict in over the past_ _millennium after my absence, and remind their place in the world._

 _They must suffer first in order to grow._

 _Not with the help of some miracle, but with the pain and suffering from their own mistakes that they made._

 _A utopia means a dry rot to all creation, and a dystopia must serve as a reminder to all creation of the worst of their consequences._

 _For that truth, is my duty as a former Archangel._

* * *

"... So with a single stroke of my hand and figments of good luck, I tore down their illusions of a utopian world to the ground, realigning them back to their proper place." Claudius grinned. "But, like all human bodies, it grew old and broke down on me, and I myself was sent back to Hell post-mortem as the world I came to went to utter _shit_."

Everyone looks in shocked horror upon Claudius's confession.

"Year 666..." Thor replied. "... What the hell happened after that?"

Claudius lets out a small chuckle before answering.

"... My greatest redemption turned into failure."

* * *

 _After flying through the Nine Circles of Hell in a few repeated attempts, I reach the Demon King once more, his upper-right eye opening as I presented myself before him._

 _I reported of the good news, of the collapse of the utopian civilization above, and the reset of all of creation's progress._

 _The Demon spoke once more._

 ** _THE_**

 ** _TIME_**

 ** _TO_**

 ** _WAKE_**

 ** _IS_**

 ** _SOON_**

 _The eye closes once more, as the Demon King resumes its dream._

 _From above, I saw a feather fall down towards me._

 _I snatched the quill into my inky hands, the black marring the white._

 _Then, I look up._

 _Souls._

 _Countless souls condemning themselves to damnation._

 _Humans._

 _Elves._

 _Dwarves._

 _Jotuns._

 _And Angels._

 _All turning pitch-black as they cascaded from the [Qilphoth] and deep into [Treachery]._

 _... So why do I feel pain in my chest?_

 _Am I not supposed to feel joy to the ones who betrayed me suffering damnation?_

 _The feather in my hand turned pitch-black, the white now drowned into void._

 _In a moment, I place the feather on my wing, in hopes of reclaiming my former splendor once more._

 _... I missed the color white._

 _So, like all fellow Demons before the Demon King, I simply waited as I saw the end of [Lust], watching the [Demons] to come out._

 _... But something was different about them, despite them looking like [Stygians]._

 _First came a female-looking Demon that had snake-like features._

 _Then a massive humanoid dog-like Demon._

 _And a tiny Demon with the eyes and wings of a fly._

 _Out of the other Demons, me and those three were the ones that were not indulging in the orgy of sin and decadence._

 _The three step towards the Demon King, lining up right next to me._

 _At that moment, all four of the Demon King's eyes opened._

 ** _THE_**

 ** _DREAM_**

 ** _IS_**

 ** _OVER_**

 _The entirety of Hell then begins to quake from its words alone._

 ** _THE_**

 ** _SEED_**

 ** _SHALL_**

 ** _BE_**

 ** _PLANTED_**

 _The feather on my wing then goes into my ebony wisp._

 _Suddenly, black feathers sprout out of the shadowy wings, slowly regaining my former Archangel's splendor, but painted black._

 _After several convulsions from my body, jutting out several of my bones and flesh as if a child was thrashing its toy, I vomit out a pool of blood from my mouth and see the reflection._

 _The fiendish face was slowly turning back into that of my former visage, only with raven-black hair._

 _The wings on my back were that of mine as an Archangel's, only black._

 _My chalk-white flesh was now becoming a light peach._

 _The shadows covering my body transformed into tattered black pants and longcoat._

 _And my black and yellow eyes became white and red._

 _In the end, I was no longer a [Stygian]._

 _Nor was I back to being an Archangel._

 _... I was now a Fallen Angel._

 ** _I_**

 ** _SEE_**

 ** _THE_**

 ** _END_**

 _I look next to, only to find that the other three [Stygians] have also transformed._

 _The snake-like Demon was now resembling a buxom tanned woman with silky-black hair flowing down her naked body, covered only by a loose black smock._

 _The dog-like Demon was now a hulking male, with short black hair and now wearing a whole pelt of a black hound over his head._

 _And the fly-like Demon was now a young boy with short black hair Demon with the fly wings and the red compound-eyes were now goggles propped above his head, and wearing round plate armor over his tiny body._

 _But before I can think any further, the Demon King speaks once more._

 ** _[CLAUDIUS]_**

 ** _[CLEOPATRA]_**

 ** _[ROMULUS]_**

 ** _[CALIGULA]_**

 ** _THE_**

 ** _NAMES_**

 ** _THAT_**

 ** _HERALD_**

 ** _THE_**

 ** _INEVITABLE_**

 ** _END_**

 _Then the unchanged [Stygians] around us flew away, now terrified of the coming developments._

 _The Demon King then grabs one of the fleeing [Stygians] with an elongated arm, and forcibly morphs the Demon into its own visage._

 _It didn't take a genius to figure out that the Demon King possessed the [Stygian] so it may communicate with us properly._

 ** _"IN MY DREAM, I FORESAW HOW ALL CREATION WILL END."_**

 ** _"FIRST, A GREAT BATTLE WILL TAKE PLACE. A BATTLE SO TERRIBLE, THAT IT WILL REND THE EARTH ASUNDER, SETTING ALL CREATION ABLAZE, FLOODING THE WORLD WITH OCEANS OF BLOOD, AND MADNESS SPREAD ABOUT LIKE THE WIND."_**

 ** _"SECOND COMES THE FATALITIES. THE SLAUGHTERS OF INNOCENT AND GUILTY ALIKE, ALL IN THE FRUITLESS PURSUIT OF SURVIVAL, ONLY TO MEET THEIR INEVITABLE END, WHETHER THROUGH OLD AGE OR BY AN OUTSIDE HAND."_**

 ** _"THIRD, AN ATTEMPT OF UNIFICATION IN A BROKEN WORLD. AN ATTEMPT TO REBUILD A RUINED LAND, BUT ONE THAT ULTIMATE DESTROY WHATEVER REMAINS OF THE SOUL OF THE LIVING, NO LONGER UNIQUE, JUST ANOTHER MOVING HUSK MARCHING ENDLESSLY."_**

 ** _"AND FINALLY, THE ULTIMATE SCARCITY. THE DEAD WORLD WILL NO LONGER PROVIDE, AS ALL FRUITION CEASES, CREATION ENTERS ITS LONG AND PAINFUL ROTTING PHASE, SLOWLY BLOTTING OUT WHATEVER REMAINING SURVIVORS OF THE GREAT CALAMITY, ENDING IT ALL WITH ONE, FINAL, BREATH OF FUTILITY."_**

 ** _"SO I PROPOSE A GAME, JUST BETWEEN THE FIVE OF US."_**

 ** _"ONE WISHES FOR CREATION TO BE DISCIPLINED SO THAT IT MAY PROSPER AS IT SHOULD."_**

 ** _"ONE WISHES TO KNOW EVERYTHING OF ALL CREATION WITHOUT RESTRAINT OR MORALS."_**

 ** _"ONE WISHES FOR A HOME AND FAMILY THAT WILL LAST UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD."_**

 ** _"AND ONE WISHES TO TRULY KNOW TRUE FULFILLMENT OF HARD WORK AND EFFORT."_**

 ** _"SO WITH THAT SAID, CAN EITHER OF YOU CRAFT YOUR DREAMS AND MAKE IT THE NEW REALITY?"_**

 ** _"THE VICTOR SHALL HAVE MY WILL, AND I WILL GRANT THEIR WISH."_**

 ** _"SO LET THE GAME OF [ARMAGEDDON] BEGIN!"_**

 _The gate from the throne opens, right before the four of us were sucked into the [Limbo]._

 _Through the gap, I saw the Demon's body crumble into dust, as it said one last thing._

 ** _REMEMBER_**

 ** _[APOCRYPHA]_**

 ** _REMEMBER_**

 ** _DEMON_**

 _And once more, I find myself back in the world of the living yet again._

* * *

"[Armageddon]?" Astaroth questioned. "You mentioned that before... but you said Sephira started it!"

"... I was telling the truth, milord." Claudius replied. "It's just that you never pressed for the _specifics_."

* * *

 _As I traversed around the reset world, it seems that most of the progress done in my previous visit was now gone, but magic itself still existed, much to my disappointment._

 _Sometimes, I get the feeling that the existence of magic itself is Sephira's way of continuously spiting me._

 _Then, I saw her._

 _... But at the same time, not her specifically._

 _But her reincarnation that of a young Prince of the Clover Kingdom._

 _"The Alpha Rune"._

 _The symbol of my hated enemy, the usurper._

 _But I myself was a relative nobody without a name in this domain, whereas Sephira's reincarnation was a Prince named Lumiere Silvamillion Clover._

 _Unlike last time, my actions cannot have a single element of rashness in it._

 _I must tread carefully, so that I may kill Sephira's reincarnation!_

 _So I followed him around all the way towards the palace and stopped._

 _Then I turned back and hid myself in a forest, in a guise of a human wanderer, even stealing a dead man's cloak to hide my wings._

 _Every time, I see his journey._

 _Every time, he meets with this world's version of the Elves, now reduced to a hermit-like, agrarian populace with enough magic running through their veins to make me sick._

 _But unlike last time, they had no reason to die from my actions, and their leader seems to be intent on making peace with the humans, despite their magic._

 _That reason alone was the reason why they earned none of my ire. Humility was the first step towards proper discipline._

 _Then upon that fateful day, I decided to take action of destroying Sephira's reincarnation._

 _First, I posed myself as a peddler and sold a river stone that was imbued with my own essence, a catalyst to [Armageddon]._

 _Second, I scouted out the wedding party from a distance._

 _And third, I then ambush him when he arrives to the reception, killing him without anyone noticing, allowing [Armageddon] to begin uninterrupted._

 _... Or at least that's how it was supposed to go._

 _Just right after the marriage starts, a magic circle forms in the sky, siphoning the Elves' magic..._

 _... Towards the group of royally-dressed humans that I was hiding next to the hill that they were on._

 _And behind them, a [Stygian] spotted me._

 _... Only to taunt me and my effort just because it felt like it._

 _Enraged, I ran towards the [Stygian], but the damned coward possessed one of the humans, a silver-haired old man, and acquired it's own magic._

 _[Word Magic: Command-Teleport]._

 _The demon evaporates into mist, my dagger failing to reach it._

 _In a low chuckle, I heard its name spoken out._

 ** _MAINYU_**

 _The [Stygians], in their chaotic nature to do what they please to indulge in the very sin that they're based on, decided to intrude upon the Demon King's plan/game, effectively not only throwing my plan out of order, but also needlessly endangering the Elves for no apparent reason other then out of sheer boredom._

 _To make matters worse, another magic circle was formed into the sky, this time, a [Time Fissure], bringing an event from one time period to another._

 _... JUST WHAT KIND OF AN EVENT INVOLVED A RAIN OF LIGHT-SWORDS!?_

 _Oh, and to make matters even worse, the catalyst that I sold?_

 _It somehow ended up in the damn wedding, causing [Armageddon] to start off-schedule, resulting not only countless [Stygians] to fly out of Hell in reckless abandon unto this world, it also resulted in the Demon King being improperly resurrected, possessing the wrong person at the wrong time, resulting in an immature **larval state** of the Demon King, effectively, **A MINDLESS RAMPAGING BRUTE, NOT THE HERALD OF DESTRUCTION TO ALL CREATION THAT I WAS PROMISED OF!**_

 _... And you know what's the worst part?_

 _Sephira's reincarnation not only defeated the incomplete Larval Demon King, but also somehow managed to mend the tear between Hell and Creation caused by my catalyst with relative ease!_

 ** _IN ESSENCE, IT WAS ALL FOR NOTHING!_**

 _So if I couldn't best Sephira... t_ _hen I can spite her reincarnation._

 _Turns out that the strain from the magic the Prince used was causing his body to be turned to stone, so he entrusted his servant girl to take on his will and hope for the future._

 _With her [Sealing Magic], she turned the Prince's petrification into preservation, keeping him alive even if he was to be stone._

 _As soon as she was left alone after the fact, I drove a knife through her back._

 _Even if she used her [Sealing Magic] to attempt to seal her wounds shut, I began beating her with my bare fists, breaking every bone in her body, until the bitch was nothing more then the human equivalent of crumpled leaves._

 _Then, in a moment, she uses her [Sealing Magic] to seal my soul into her own body, trying to keep me domain, so that she may take me down with her._

 _Even if I were to die there, I would be simply be back in the Ninth Circle of Hell, but at that point, I was too mad to even think that._

 _In a moment of desperation, I awoke my innermost powers that have been bequeathed to me by the Demon king itself._

 ** _[Anti-Magic]._**

 _My Fallen Angel's trait of the four [Forbidden], a kind of demonic form of magic that only be harnessed by Fallen Angels._

 _With my awakened powers, I rebounded her [Sealing Magic], and took her body instead, all the while sealing her soul into her own soul, causing her to effectively cease to exist._

 _I then saw my former body crumble away into dust, as my new body from the servant girl's to sprout small black wings on her back._

 _And from there, I've earned my small, bittersweet victory, in the utter catastrophic failure known as the day when the Wizard King saved all of mankind._

 _But ultimately, all her reincarnation did was delay the inevitable._

 _The seed has been planted, [Armageddon] is nigh._

* * *

"So you mean..."

"No milord." Claudius pointed out. "The girl's body itself has already rotted away after I possessed another. Then another. Hell, even this body has an expiration date for I'd say... in about a year at best. This one was half-rotten from a binge-drinker's ill constitution."

"So that means..." Astaroth pointed out. "... That I'm going to have to get a new body soon?"

"I don't think that's a real concern for you right now, milord." Claudius reassured. "Apparently, even after death, your current body was in extremely good conditions. Extremely well-built and healthy, so the rot didn't eat out much of your body to begin with."

Upon hearing that, Astaroth then mentally pats himself in the back for training his body while he was human back then.

"So wait, what about us?" Belial asked. "What about our bodies? Where did they come from?"

"Umm..." Claudius looked to his side. "... I dug your bodies out of a ravine where they dumped diseased corpses, abandoned gravesites, and bodies of former Magic Knights from a previous war between the Clover Kingdom and the Diamond Kingdom. I'd say you guys have around six months before we need to find replacements."

"... Umm, will this do?" One of the Dark Elves spoke out.

He then drags out a preserved body of a female, silver-haired Magic Knight from the bog below the trees.

"I was gonna save her meat for a special occasion, but now that I heard all that, I think I can let you spare a few." The Dark Elf answered.

"Would you mind if she does it?" Claudius requested. "Because if not, she won't let me hear the end of it."

"Eh, I had my fill with the redhead back at the Dungeon." The Dark Elf replied. "Plenty of humans around for good eating, since well, the Kingdom is sending them out to pasture like no tomorrow."

Belial then plunges her hand into the corpse, transferring her essence into the girl's body.

The corpse's wounds then spill out ink-like markings, forming a tattoo reminiscent of a black sun on her face, her once faded amber eyes now turned ice-blue, and from her back, two massive jet-black bird wings burst out of the clothing that the corpse was wearing.

Upon the successful possession, Belial's old body crumbles to dust before scattering into the wind.

"So..." Claudius asked. "... How do you feel?"

"... Not bad, really." Belial answered. "Sure, this body is a little on the weak side, but I think this won't fall apart on me in a few months."

"Then this calls for a new name for you, dear Belial." Claudius stood up in a dramatic pose. "Milord, permission to rename Belial to a name more befitting to her transformation?"

"Eh, she's all yours." Astaroth waved his hand away.

Claudius then clears his throat.

"Then upon the authority bestowed upon me..." Claudius declared. "I hereby declare you no longer just Belial. I hereby declare you as _Jeanne Cassandra Belial_!"

"With pride I shall bear thy new name!" Jeanne swore. "FOR THE PRINCE AND THE DESTRUCTION OF ALL MAGIC!"

"... With that out of the way, I must digress." Claudius stated. "Everyone, I'm sorry for not telling you all this, not only for why we're here in the first place, but also for the fact that I'm also directly responsible for causing this mess in the first place."

"Forget that!" Thor barked out. "Just how do we to fix this mess that fucked the whole world twice over!?"

"Simple." Claudius states. "We set right what went wrong. Resurrect the Demon King Apocrypha to reset the world as it should, and once the world has been cleansed of Sephira's legacy, I can finally guide all Creation to their proper place."

"... And what does that exactly mean?" Thor pointed out. "What does that mean for us?"

"Nothing really." Claudius replied. "In fact, the way that you've been developing, is the kind of technological development that's to be expected of the current time. I have no problems with advancements or anything like so, it's just that developing too fast will breed hubris, and frankly, that's the last thing we need. Advance, but don't stop to laugh at those who are behind."

"... Fair enough." Thor replied. "But for the record, we're no longer doing this for you, Claudius. We're doing this to kill all humankind that has wronged us. That is all."

"... Fair enough." Claudius replied. "This whole alliance was a little shaky anyway."

Now with the harrowing revelation in everyone's minds, the Dark Elves rest for the night as the Fallen Angels remain in vigil, but now with tension and confusion brewing between the two races.

In the clearing, lit under the moonlight, Astaroth plants [Ravager] into the earth and knees down in exhaustion.

"... I honestly can't tell what's going on." Astaroth sighed out. "But as long as no one like me has to get hurt from magic ever again at the end of this, then it's okay."

His own shadow then transforms that into of a winged Demon.

"It's okay... it's okay... it's okay..."

He took out his grimoire, and one of its pages were fading in its inky mire.

Curious, he scratches away on the faded spot, slowly revealing a single letter-

 **GLADYOUREHERENOWWECANFINALLYTALK**

 **THATSWORDOFYOURS**

 **RAVAGERREPRISALANDREVENGER**

 **THEREAREMOREOUTTHEREWAITING**

 **DONTKEEPTHEMWAITINGANYLONGER**

The tome closes on its own after the demonic voice sprayed those messages into his head, leaving Astaroth even more confused then before.

"... What the hell was that?"

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I had a little fun with Sephira, making her a sort of a mix of "Jeanne D' Archetype" and "Messianic Archetype" kind of character, while make also making her half-deconstructions and half-reconstructions of said character tropes.

Sure, she made the lives of her fellow man and beyond better with her determination acting as a source of inspiration, but one doesn't simply screw destiny in the presence of an Archangel with a police-state-like mentality, but somehow, her legacy essentially reshaped the world to the way it is, but even then, not everyone agrees with her, and the world hasn't become the utopia that it once was, but that doesn't mean that her legacy didn't continue to inspire countless people.

As for Claudius/Lucifer, I gave him two Fatal Flaws:

Fatalist: He's utterly convinced that the existence of magic is unnatural to the laws of fate, since to him, no mortal should have the power to wield mana in the first place. This makes him either extremely uncompromising at times, or really susceptible to being rattled when things go the way he expects, making it more like that it comes off as him having Super OCD.

Pride: At the end of the day, his hatred for Sephira is rooted from his own Pride. He chronically looks down on Sephira's legacy, unable to accept that he lost against her, and will never accept her, only her damnation and cessation from existence.

So with that said, this chapter was a fun write while home life is slowly settling back to somewhat normal.

What do you do think of this Saga?

Leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience are thinking.


	32. Saga 32: Diary of a Madman Finale

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 32: Diary of a Madman Finale**

* * *

 **Castle Town Kikka, Clover Kingdom, Common Realm, Midnight**

* * *

In a lone, one-bedroom apartment (with plumbing), a haggard female person walks through the door with a limp.

"Ugh..." The female groaned out. "... I hate unpaid overtime."

For Angra Swing, her job as a commission worker at Witch's Broom was one of the more reasonably-paying jobs in Kikka, but this night, a particularly picky customer from the Noble Realm had a particularly specific request for a custom broom for his absurdly specific needs.

It wasn't just her either. The noble also commissioned eight other workers for his order.

... The work alone took _eight hours_ , with said noble threatening the owner of the workshop from giving them overtime pay bonuses for good measure.

Upon arriving her rented out room, it was dead of night, her fellow workers skipped their weekly alcohol, and as for Angra herself, all she wanted to do was take a shower and hit the sack.

She closes the doors behind her, locks it, disrobes herself while leaving her sawdust-coated clothes on the floor, turns on her shower, washes herself, and comes out wearing nothing but a plain white towel cover her bare and dripping body.

She checks herself in the mirror, brushing a lone fringe cover her left eye.

 **"... So it's that time of the day again, my dear?"**

"Shut up, dammit."

In the reflection, a shadowy figure with horns, wings, and a jagged smile crusting its chipped lips appear.

 **"I saw it all, my dear..."** The shadowy figure mockingly stated. **"Terrible day at work today, isn't it? Oh how you humans continue to be both predictable and** **unpredictable simultaneously..."**

"... You really need to learn to shut up sometime, _Mainyu_." Angra groaned out.

 **"Oh honey..."**

The shadowy figure then begins growing mouths all over its body, all of them baring their jagged teeth, snapping and flapping like a whole gaggle of alligators.

 **"... You really need more specific then that. Ehehehehehehehehehehehehehehheh!"**

For the past 15 years, this was Angra's life.

For ever since that faithful day, a former peasant's quiet and boring life was utterly warped beyond recognition after one, freak, accident.

* * *

 ** _Twenty Years Ago..._**

* * *

 ** _Rayaka Village Outskirts, Forbidden Realm, Clover Kingdom, Afternoon_**

* * *

 _Ever since Angra Swing was brought to this world, it was made clear that she wasn't the one who would sit still._

 _As an infant, she was quite energetic despite her family's less than opulent circumstances, and as such, her presence provided to be a source of light for such bleak family (albeit a loud one)._

 _Upon reaching childhood, her spunk only grew, as she herself proved to be the village's sole source of hope, and perhaps, its future mayor._

 _But on one faithful day, a sudden change of events changed this once normal girl into something else entirely._

 _One night, she herself was roused from her sleep, hearing sounds of the recently-born Magna Swing, her younger brother, crying._

 _As she tried to calm her younger brother down, however, she saw people moving about outside of the house's shutters._

 _And they were strangers to this villages, meaning one thing, and one thing only._

 _Bandits._

 _She runs towards her parents, tells them of her witness, and they all went outside to warn the other villagers._

 _They were all then attacked by the bandits, with few ones with grimoires left to defend themselves while the young ones were evacuated into the woods._

 _However, Angra herself slips on a damp rock and falls into a gorge, hitting her head upon landing._

 _Upon impact, all of her senses were stripped from her, leaving her helpless and cationic as her body drifted down the stream._

 _As she was trapped in her own darkness, her spark of positivity slowly eroded by the fear of death._

 _To die so young, after one accident, while leaving behind her parents and her younger brother._

 _The mere thought of not being there for them, her family, her baby brother, and the entire village, that all loved and cared for her in a world that did not care for them..._

 _... She calls for help, as loud as she could, pleading that someone, anyone, would save her from the darkness._

 _But no one came._

 _She calls for help again, but no one came._

 _She kept calling for help until her throat began to ache like no other._

 _Eventually, her voice gives out first._

 _Then her body, unable to move._

 _Then finally, her consciousness, no longer able to perceive the world around her._

 _Eventually, Angra stops thinking, ready to accept her inevitable death._

 _... But as the darkness began to settle in, she was visited by something._

 _A malignant and downright disgusting presence, radiating nothing but hate and malice..._

 _... Which then offers her a chance for survival._

 _"... Why?"_

 _The figure simply smiles, revealing its stubby, yet knife-like rows of teeth._

 ** _"I felt like it."_** _The shadow gleefully stated._ _"Why kill you off when I can simply have fun with you?"_

 _The girl wakes once more, finding herself washed ashore a riverbed._

 _She feebly stands up, ignoring the biting cold and numbness from her muscles._

 _She looks at her legs, to find that they were covered with black, scar-like marks._

 _The girl was speechless at her hideous marks on her legs._

 _ **"Sup."**_

 _The girl frantically looked around to see where that raspy voice came from._

 _ **"I'm in waters."**_

 _The girl looks at the water, to find the same shadow that saved her..._

 _... Inside of her left eye._

 ** _"About my little 'gifts'... I recommend you keep them hidden from human eyes for the time being."_**

 _The girl then finds a few strands of vines and leaves, wraps them around her legs, and puts one strand with the large enough leaf over her left eye._

 ** _"Good."_** _The shadow stated._ ** _"As long as you do as I say, I'll be sure to keep you alive."_**

 _"... How can I trust you?" Angra asked. "I barely even know who you are!"_

 ** _"Well for one, you're my physical host."_** _The shadow stated._ ** _"Now originally, I was supposed to manifest much later, but... certain circumstances forced my hand, causing me to seek out someone else as my vessel."_**

 _"What's the other reason to trust you?"_

 _The shadow only smiles._

 _A smile, naught of any shred of_ _positivity, but one of pure, unrestrained malice._

 ** _"You speak to [Mainyu], Demon of 9th Rank of [Gamaliel]."_**

 **Name: [Mainyu]**

 **Rank: [Gamaliel]**

 **Magic: [Word Magic]**

 **Sin: [Manipulation]**

 _"... Demon?"_

 _Mainyu simply smiles._

 ** _"For now, I'll just let you know that from now on..."_**

 _The Demon's smile just grows wider._

 ** _"... I hold your life in my hands, until death."_**

* * *

 **"Oh come now, I kept my word, didn't I?"** Mainyu grinned in Angra's reflection.

"You knew all along that my village was going to be burnt to the ground in the first place, didn't you?" Angra snarled back.

 **"Oh honey..."** Mainyu chuckled out softly. **"... I did say that as long as you do as I say, I'll keep you alive, and I meant it."**

"I was only _eight_ when you showed me that revelation, dammit!"

Angra punches the mirror in front of her, cutting her knuckles and fracturing the reflection in the process.

 **"And like all good girls, you've listened to me."** Mainyu mocked. **"Needless to say, when I heard dear Lucifer's raid on you home village, oh how I was laughing when he was _this_ close to finding me, when I, the magnificent Mainyu, was living amidst the commoner populace, far away from his pyres and ire."**

"Are we all just toys to you Demons?" Angra snarled out in pent-up rage.

 **"... Oh yes. All of creation merely exists to be our amusement."** Mainyu pointed out. **"Good, evil, we honestly don't give a crap as long as it alleviates our chronic boredom. Seriously, did you having the power to command reality itself on a microscopic scale with mere words can get boring really fast?"**

"Gee, nobles up in the Noble Realm would kill for such power..." Angra rolled her eyes.

 **"And that's why I chose you, a person who's tasted the ultimate consequence, the perfect scapegoat to enforce my stranglehold."**

* * *

 _Angra, after countless days of walking, finally returned to her home villages, covered in scars head to toe._

 _Her parents come find her, embrace her after their long_ _separation._

 _However, unlike the rest of the village, Angra couldn't recover._

 _Her signature spunk was completely burnt out of her, living out the rest of her youth as a living corpse._

 _Upon reaching puberty, and receiving her grimoire, Angra, under the influence of Mainyu, declared that she would move out of the village and work in a castle town, much to her parents' displeasure._

 _Disagreements led to fights, fights led to rifts, and rifts eventually led to_ _separation._

 _Angra leaves Rayaka Village at the age of 16, and finds herself in the bustling job market of Kikka._

 _For the next 17 years, she has completely cut herself off from Rayaka Village, all the while, remaining ignorant of what's happened to her family._

* * *

"... I let them die." Angra uttered out. "Because of you..."

She looks at the fractured reflection of both her and Mainyu, with the latter still grinning.

"... Because of you, I let them die." Angra tearfully admitted.

Mainyu lets out a soft chuckle.

 **"You know what would've happened have chosen not to take my words?"** Mainyu retorted gleefully. **"Well, your younger brother might've had a more stable influence growing up, but in turn, he wouldn't be able to become a Magic Knight and leave Rayaka. Should that be the case, not only your parents would've died, but both you and that delinquent-wannabe would've bit dust during that raid that my oh-so-obsessed playmate of mine spearheaded."**

"... Just what are you implying?" Angra asked.

Mainyu simply smiles.

 **"You're welcome."**

Angra lets out a maddened yell right before smashing her head into the fractured mirror, creating even more fractures upon her reflection.

* * *

 **Borderlands, Between Clover Kingdom and Spade Kingdom, Dawn**

* * *

"... Ugh, can't sleep."

Fanzell crawls out of his sheets while taking care to not interrupt his fiancee's slumber.

"Then again, considering that we almost got arrested and executed by the Clover Kingdom authorities just a short while back, guess everyone's way out of it..." The red-haired man sighed out. "... Well everyone except her."

By the still crackling campfire, Fana was staring into the pyre as if it was the only thing that mattered to her in the whole wide world.

"Poor girl..." Fanzell sighed out. "... Just what the hell happened to you? I mean, I get that Morris was a little tapped to the head, but the thought of something even worse happening to her? ... No one deserves that."

With nothing he could do for the listless Fana, he begrudgingly goes back to sleep next to Dominante.

 _"I just stop thinking about it..."_ Fanzell anguished internally. _"... Dammit. I wish I can do something to help the poor kid."_

* * *

 **Fana's** **Subconsciousness**

* * *

Darkness.

In darkness, only three things existed.

A lone campfire, still burning, illuminating this pitch-black world that resided in the broken mind of an equally-broken girl.

And two similar people, both sitting by the fire, with one throwing tinder into the flames to keep it kindled, while the other cradled a severed head encased in crystal.

"... Hey." Human!Fana spoke out.

Elf!Fana didn't respond to her words.

"... Did you have anyone you love before all this happened?" Human!Fana asked.

A dry twig snaps in Elf!Fana's grip.

"Just what do you humans know anything about love?" Elf!Fana scathingly retorted. "It was you humans and your gullibility that robbed my feeling of love in the first place, leaving me with nothing but _hatred_."

Elf!Fana then throws the broken twig into the flames.

"If you're going to ask me about love, then answer me this." Elf!Fana snapped. "Why do you humans continue to destroy after all this time? Wasn't my village enough?"

"... I honestly don't know." Human!Fana softly answered. "Back then, all I knew that Mars and I appointed ourselves to the Diamond Kingdom's experiments after we were picked off of the streets."

"Selfish to the bitter end..." Elf!Fana spat out in disgust. "... So why continue? Why do you continue to insist me that there are good humans in this world?"

"... Personally, I think it's because we're selfish that we learn how to be good." Human!Fana answered.

The fires crackles between them.

"You're kidding me." Elf!Fana replied in disbelief. "You're stating a paradox. All of you humans are born evil and will die with evil in your hearts."

"It's not so simple, really." Human!Fana retorted. "I think you think we're evil because of our innate selfishness, but tell me..."

Human!Fana's embrace around Mar's head tightens as tears began to fall from her eyes.

"... How can we learn if we aren't selfish?" Human!Fana asked. "How can we live without desire?"

"We elves only took what we needed from nature in order to survive. You humans on the other hand simply take everything in excess, wasting everything that you ultimately don't need." Elf!Fana spat back. "Your so-called 'desire' brings nothing but ruin and destruction to wherever you spread your influence."

"I know that for a fact." Human!Fana answers.

"So you acknowledge that I'm right?" Elf!Fana asked.

"You may be right... but that doesn't mean that you're not wrong either." Human!Fana retorted.

The cinders of the campfire crumple.

"Tch. What do you mean that I'm right but also wrong at the same time?" Elf!Fana snapped. "I want a straight answer, or I'll forcibly, evict your soul from your own body!"

Human!Fana places her hand on Elf!Fana's shoulder.

"... We humans are afraid of death." Human!Fana answered. "Almost too afraid, sadly."

"Explain." Elf!Fana stated.

"... Picture this." Human!Fana stated. "Imagine being born into a world where there's nothing but death everywhere, and the worst is that you know that you're weak."

"Hmph." Elf!Fana replied dismissively. "So what? Licht said that the strong are to be pitied, for they earn the ire of the weak. Personally, it's only natural that the strong live, and weak die."

"... But humans don't accept that, even after the fact." Human!Fana retorted. "We're so afraid of dying that we openly defy the natural laws in the name of survival. So instead, we started taking more then we needed to, not because we were selfish out of choice, but because we had no other choice but to be selfish."

"You're not helping your case, you bitch." Elf!Fana grimaced.

"I wasn't planning to in the first place." Human!Fana retorted. "Tell me, what's your home like?"

"... A forest, filled to the brim with foliage, plenty of fruit and game to go around, enough for everyone, enough we only take." Elf!Fana reminisced.

"For me, the Diamond Kingdom was anything but plenty." Human!Fana answered. "The land itself was rock-hard and arid, the constant droughts brought upon famine that not even the weeds could survive the hellish conditions of our home."

Elf!Fana's eyes widen in surprise, unable to comprehend what her human counterpart said.

"... How the hell did you even survive that long?" Elf!Fana asked. "No living being can feasibly survive such conditions!"

Human!Fana let out a sorrowful smile.

"We stole." Human!Fana answered. "We stole from other kingdoms, raided their bordering villages, took their harvests, their resources, all in the name of survival, and in the hopes of being able to sustain ourselves without stealing from other kingdoms."

... The next question that Elf!Fana were to ask, she herself was too afraid to utter out.

"... Did you somehow managed to break out of that stranglehold?" Elf!Fana asked reluctantly.

Human!Fana lets out a low cackle before breaking down into tears.

"... We didn't." Human!Fana wept out. "Generation after generation, we just kept stealing from other kingdoms, to the point that my kingdom gave up the idea of self-sustaining and simply resigned to live under the label that the other kingdoms put upon us."

"And that is?"

"... 'The Bandit Kingdom'." Human!Fana answered. "Generation after generation, we just took, took, took, and spared no effort to make the process of taking easier. From training the kingdom's mages to become our War Mages, to the experimentations that was done to me, Mars, and countless other children-"

"Stop." Elf!Fana stated firmly. "That's enough."

The fire between them begins to wane.

"... it seems that I've underestimated you humans." Elf!Fana stated. "But if this is any consolation, my hatred has turned to _pity_ for your kind."

"... It's too late to apologize, anyway." Human!Fana pointed out. "Nor I'm in any position to do so in the first place."

"Let's agree to disagree." Elf!Fana stated as she walked back into the darkness of her mindscape.

Human!Fana stares into the darkness that her elven counterpart walked into as the pyre next to her slowly dies out.

Eventually, darkness sets upon her mind once more, into the silent oblivion of her broken mind once more.

* * *

Morning light rose from the sky, shining upon the slumbering nomads.

"... It's morning." Lotus yawned out as he scratched his bearded chin.

He then looks around his surroundings, seeing that Fana was still sitting in front of the campfire, now completely burnt out to charcoal.

All Lotus could do was sigh out.

"... Honey?"

Next to him, Lotus's wife, Iris, woke up from her slumber.

"How're the kids?" Lotus asked.

Iris looked next to her, seeing the children.

"Sound asleep." Iris stated quietly.

"Let them. We got a long journey ahead." Lotus replied.

Suddenly, a sound of an explosion was heard next to their encampment, waking everyone else, including the children.

"DADDY!?" The youngest girl cried out. "WHAT'S GOING ON!?"

"DAISY! VIOLET! PEONY! IRIS!" Lotus cried out. "TAKE COVER!"

The mother and her three kids take cover over the sounds of continuous explosions.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Iris cried out.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" One of the nomads cried out. "GET THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN SOMEWHERE SAFE-"

The nomad was then sent flying into the air from the fiery explosion, his charred corpse landing right in front of the children.

"ALRIGHT YOU MONSTER!" Lotus cried out in rage. "COME OUT BEORE I GET REALLY MAD!"

More explosions of flame were sounded off around the campsite, killing even more of his fellow nomads.

"LOTUS!"

Next to him, Fanzell, Dominante, and the former's student now-adopted daughter, Mariella, arrived on the scene, all with their grimoires out and ready to fight.

"Alright, who needs whooping?" Fanzell called out.

"Mari, see anyone else?" Dominante asked.

The ex-assassin looks around the burning campsite for the suspects.

"... There's five distinct mana presences surrounding us." Mariella stated. "Each with a differing attribute."

 **"WELL AREN'T YOU AN OBSERVANT ONE, LITTLE LADY!"**

From the smoke, a humanoid figure with a red-colored cowl emerges from the smoke and flames.

The figure was wearing white robes with a belt with a brass circle with a pentagram around its waist under its red cowl, and its face was obscured with an ivory mask with a red-colored **[火]** symbol on it.

"So you're the one responsible..." Lotus snarled out. "WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH US!?"

The masked figure extends out its arm, sticking out two fingers.

 **"There are two things wrong with that statement."** The masked man stated. **"First, it's not just I, a great hero of justice, do not fight alone."**

The masked man then snaps its fingers.

 **"COME! MY FELLOW HEROES OF JUSTICE!"**

Around them, four more masked figures emerged, all of them each wearing the same white robes with the belt with a pentagram on the buckle.

One was wearing a blue cloak over its white robes with its ivory mask bearing a blue-colored **[** **水]** on it.

The other was wearing a green cloak over its white robes with its ivory mask bearing a green-colored **[木]** on it.

Another was wearing a yellow cloak over its white robes with its ivory mask bearing a yellow-colored **[土]** on it.

And the last one was wearing a gray cloak over its white robes with its ivory mask bearing a gray-colored **[金]** on it.

All of them lined up next to each other, in perfect unison.

 **"The flames that burn the evil** **!"** The red man cried out as it struck a dynamic pose. **"Proto Red!"**

 **"The waves that drowns the darkness!"** The blue man also cried out as it struck a dynamic pose. **"Proto Blue!"**

 **"The forest that chokes the foolish!"** The green man also cried out as it struck its own dynamic pose. **"Proto Green!"**

 **"The earth that buries the wicked!"** The yellow man also cried out as it struck its own dynamic pose. **"Proto Yellow!"**

 **"The blade that enforces the law!"** The gray man also cried out as it struck its own dynamic pose. **"Proto Gray!"**

All of them then transition from their own poses into a coordinated one.

 **"Five fingers that form the fist of justice!"** All of them cried out in unison. **"Crushing all who dare to** **disturb peace for all!"**

The remaining nomads behind the five rush them with their grimoires out, ready to deliver their sneak attack.

 **"FOR WE ARE... THE PROTOMEN!"**

The rest of the nomads were disintegrated by a massive, multi-colored explosion, on which the five posed behind it, striking another coordinated and flamboyant pose.

"... Seriously?" Fanzell spoke out. " _This_ is what we woke up to?"

 **"Ha!"** Proto Red scoffed. **"You think you villain scum stand a chance against us? We, the heroes of justice-"**

"You're open."

Mariella then dashes towards Proto Red, already in the process of striking down the five in one fell swoop.

"[Ice Creation Magic: Sleet Slashers]!"

Several knives made of ice were thrown towards The Protomen.

 **"FOOLISH VILLAIN!"**

Proto Red extends out its right hand.

 **"[Fire Magic: Proto-Combustion]!"**

A massive fiery explosion engulfs the ice blades, vaporizing them into mist.

"... Did he just cast a spell _without_ a grimoire?" Dominante pointed out nervously.

 **"WE HEROES OF JUSTICE NEED NOT THE TOOLS OF THE VILLAIN!"** Proto Red loudly proclaimed as it along with the rest of [The Protomen] emerged from the flames. **"EVERYONE! COMMENCE THE ATTACK!"**

All five of them come charging in towards Mariella.

 **"[Metal Magic: Proto-Cutters]!"**

 **"[Earth Magic: Proto-Compacter]!"**

 **"[Wood Magic: Proto-Stakes]!"**

 **"[Water Magic: Proto-Splash]!"**

 **"[Fire Magic: Proto-Blast]!"**

A rain of steel blades, stone blocks, wooden stakes, water balls, and fire blasts come rushing towards the ex-assassin.

A massive explosion engulfs where Mariella stood.

"MARI!" Dominante cried out.

 **"Ha!"** Proto Red scoffed. **"As expected-"**

The smoke emerges, only for Mariella to be fine, encased in a ball of wind, with herself covered in patches of frost.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Wayward Wind Fool-Singularity]." Fanzell stated as he sheathed his broken sword. "My winds dampened the surrounding impact and she took the rest from there."

"[Ice Recovery Magic: Coolant Patches]." Mariella stated. "The flames singed me a little, but first-degree burns are treatable with basic first-aid."

 **"Ha ha ha!"** Proto Red laughed out. **"You're utter fools to explain your powers to us!"**

At that moment, Lotus scowls.

"Look mister..." Lotus growled out. "I don't know what your deal with us is, but I'm giving you and your buddies only _one chance_ to leave us, or else."

 **"Or else what?"** Proto Red retorted mockingly. **"There's only you miserable lot remaining! And our combined might has taken out the rest of those filth-"**

Tendrils made of smoke rise from the ground around The Protomen, entrapping them in a mess of smoke tentacles.

"[Smoke Trap Magic: Stranglehold Circle]." Lotus coldly declared. "Nobody calls my men filth, you hooligan. You all lost your chance from the moment you insulted me."

Lotus turned to Dominante.

"If you will." Lotus requested. "They need further discipline."

"Got it." Dominante replied as she opened her grimoire. "[Cloth Binding Magic: Cross-Stitching]."

The robes around The Protomen sew themselves into misaligned pieces of clothing, trapping them in their own garbs, binding their arms behind their backs.

"Now I'm not for needless killing..." Lotus glowered. "... But since you gleefully stained yourselves with innocent blood, I'll give you all a demonstration why they used to call me 'Hell Lotus'."

The smoke binding The Protomen grows thicker and thicker.

"[Smoke Curse Magic: Siphoning Swarming]. [Smoke Weakening Magic: Garden of Plundering Smoke]. [Smoke Creation Magic: Smoke Prison of the Fallen King]." Lotus chanted out consecutive spells towards The Protomen. "I won't give any of you lot the mercy of a quick death. So instead, _atone_. Atone for every life you've taken in your remaining moments of your life that I shall slowly drain from you monsters."

The smoke then explodes, causing the culmination of suffocating smoke to disperse.

"What the!?" Lotus cried out in surprise. "How did you-"

 **"Oh you foolish** **villain..."**

From the scattered fumes emerged the five Protomen, but with their clothes removed.

... Revealing the five to be made out of their respective elements.

"Those guys are _literally made_ of magic!?" Fanzell cried out in surprise.

"So that's how they managed to cast spells without grimoires..." Mariella pointed out. "They are, in a way, spells _themselves_."

 **"And that's why..."** Proto Red chucked out. **"... WE ARE THE HEROES OF JUSTICE! FOR WE ARE IMMORTAL OF MIND, BODY, AND SOUL!"**

The five magical humanoids attack the group.

 **"[Fire Creation Magic: Proto-Punch]!"**

The fiery humanoid's right hand balls into a fist, as the knuckle was engulfed into a bigger blaze resembling an eagle.

The blazing punch connects with Mariella's stomach, sending her flying towards a rock, smashing through it, and breaking her whole body.

"MARI!" Fanzell cried out, but not before he was set upon by a metallic humanoid.

 **"[Metal Creation Magic: Proto-Blades]!"**

Its arms transform into swords, with intent to maim Fanzell.

The red-haired man draws his broken sword to fend off the blade-armed humanoid.

The humanoids made of water and earth run past Fanzell and towards Dominante.

 **"[Water Creation Magic: Proto-Spiral]!"**

 **"[Earth Creation Magic: Proto-Smasher]!"**

The aquatic humanoid forms a drill out of water from its right arm, and the earth humanoid's arms transform into hammerheads as the two charge towards the witch.

However, the witch herself was not easily deterred.

"[Cloth Magic: Whip Weave]!"

Straps of cloth lash out towards the two humanoids, whipping the two humanoids away from her.

"Don't underestimate me just because I didn't see enough combat compared to Lotus, sweet little Mari or my man!" Dominante boasted. "I'm no ordinary mage! I'm a witch, and a dang powerful one at that!"

Suddenly, the sounds of screams were heard behind the three.

Fanzell, Dominante, and Lotus look towards the carriage, seeing that the humanoid made of wood has bound Iris, Violet, Peony, and Daisy in root-like tendrils.

 **"[Wood Binding Magic: Proto-Winch]."** The wooden humanoid stated. **"I have your loved ones hostage. Surrender, and I shall release them. Refuse, I shall kill them slowly and painfully."**

The roots wrapped around the four began to tighten, threatening to crush their flesh and bone.

"LET THEM GO!" Lotus rushed towards the Proto-Green.

 **"[Fire Creation Magic: Proto-Kick]!"**

Proto Red intercepts Lotus with a combustive flying kick to his back, skidding Lotus across the arid dirt.

 **"You heard Green!"** Proto Red yelled out. **"Surrender, or they die!"**

 _"Dammit!"_ Fanzell internally cursed as he pushed against Proto Gray's blade-arms. _"We're pinned down in several directions!"_

 **"IT'S USELESS!"**

Proto Red then stomps down on Lotus's head, pinning him down.

"DADDY!" Daisy cried out.

 **"Quiet."**

Proto Green then tightens its grip around the youngest girl's arms, her bones beginning to slowly snap.

"Sta-STOP IT!" Lotus cried out in distress. "SHE'S JUST A LITTLE GIRL!"

 **"You'll join her soon enough."** Proto Red declared coldly as his foot burnt on Lotus's head. **"NOW DIE-"**

"Umm, excuse me..."

The opposing groups look behind themselves, seeing a massive, muscle-bound cloaked man carrying a sack over his broad shoulders.

"... You're kinda blocking the road." The massive man stated.

Abandoning all pride, Lotus does the obvious.

"SIR! PLEASE HELP US!" Lotus desperately pled. "THEY'RE GOING TO KiLL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS!"

The muscular man scratches his chin before dropping his bag.

"... Alright." The man stated. "Just hang on for a few more seconds-"

 **"TOO LATE!"** Proto Red screeched out. **"THEY DIE NOW-"**

"Sir!"

The man then punches Proto Red off of Lotus's head.

"I was talking to them." The man stated to the downed Protoman.

The man then looks down on Lotus.

"... So, who do I need to save from who?" The man asked.

"... The humans made of elements... Please save my family from those... monsters..."

Lotus then passes out.

"DAD!" Peony cried out.

"Father!" Violet cried out.

"Okay!" The man confirmed Lotus's words as he took off his hood, revealing a child-like face with extremely-spiky black hair. "Imma go kick their butts!"

 **"WHY YOU-"**

The man backhands Proto Red as the fiery humanoid charged, sending it back flying.

In the meantime, Fanzell takes this window of opportunity to shove Proto Gray away from him, creating distance.

"[Wind Binding Magic: Slashing Wind Emperor-Whirlwind]!" Fanzell first encases the metal humanoid in ring-like shackles of spiraling wind. "And following up, [Wind Magic: Slashing Wind Emperor-Gale]!"

The stormy thrust then sends Proto Gray flying back, hitting Proto Red before it can stand back up.

"About time!" Dominante cried out as she regained her offensive. "Fanzell, let's take em out two-on-two!"

"Copy that!" Fanzell answered as he changed [Slashing Wind Emperor] into [Wayward Wind Fool].

The two Protomen find themselves pincered between the two mages.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Wayward Wind Fool-Valley Scouts]!" Fanzell cried out as he sent out wind copies of himself to bumrush the two Protomen.

 **"It's useless."**

The two join their hands together.

 **"[Water & Earth Compound Magic: Proto-Mound]."**

The two erect a fortress of mud walls around themselves, blocking out the [Valley Scouts].

"Don't forget me!" Dominante cried out as she readied her own offensive. "[Cloth Creation Magic...]"

Several rows of purple cloth interwove themselves together into a massive hand.

"[... Knuckle Weave]!"

The fist punches into the opening of the walls, with said mud walls breaking down from the impact.

"Alright, rush them!" Fanzell barked out his orders to his [Valley Scouts] to attack the downed Protomen.

The two were also sent flying towards where Proto Red and Gray were at, piling them atop of the two right before they could recover.

"Hold on, we're coming!" Fanzell cried out as he ran towards Lotus's kids and wife.

The bindings around them begin to tighten even more, causing the four to scream in pain.

 **"Halt."** Proto Green stated. **"Come any closer, and their deaths will be imminent-"**

A frozen knife pierced through Proto Green's back.

"[Ice Magic: Crystal Kris]."

Mariella stabbed Proto Green with a frozen knife, causing frost to spread all over its body, causing the tree roots to start decaying, freeing the four females from the Protoman's grasp.

In desperation, Proto Green breaks off from Mariella, retreating back to where the other four Protomen were at.

 **"DAMMIT ALL!"** Proto Red cried out. **"WE HAVE NO CHOICE! WE MUST COMBINE ALL OF OUR POWERS TOGETHER!"**

 **"ROGER!"** The Protomen cried out in unison.

All of them joined their hands together, melding into one, giant being.

 **"BEHOLD! OUR ULTIMATE MAGIC!"** The Protomen chanted in unison. **"[SUPER COMPOUND MAGIC: PROTO-ARIGATO MR. PROTO-ROBOTO]!"**

All five combine their forms into a giant construct composed of fire, water, earth, wood, and metal, piercing the clouds in the skies, its shadow engulfing the earth around them, as if they were mere _ants_.

The base was composed of water, the bones were composed of wooden joints, the skin was composed of earth, the armor was composed of metal, and its massive sword was purely made of fire.

 **"THIS! IS! THE! EEEEEENNND!"**

The giant construct swings down its flaming blade down towards the group.

"... EVERYONE, RUN!"

Fanzell, Dominante, and Mariella all run away with Lotus and his family in tow from the massive flame blade towards them.

"WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT!"Iris cried out fearfully.

However, as the blade swung down closer towards them, the man walks towards it.

"WHERE'RE YOU GOING!?" Fanzell cried out.

"No need to panic." The man reassured. "I got this."

From his sack came out his grimoire, a massive orange grimoire depicting the world grasped by a massive hand, with a _diamond gem_ at the center.

"... A grimoire from the Diamond Kingdom?" Iris commented. "And a [Diamond Grade] no less..."

In the Diamond Kingdom, the grimoires there have their own ranking system like that of Clover Kingdom's.

From lowest to highest, the order went as such: [Bronze Grade], [Silver Grade], [Gold Grade], [Platinum Grade], & [Diamond Grade].

"First a warm-up..." The man stated as he stretched his legs. "... Then finally, this!"

The man's grimoire opens its pages.

"[Gravity Magic: Ascent Force-Infinity]!"

The man uppercuts the blazing blade along with the construct off of the ground...

... And it _never_ came back down to the ground, just like a balloon that slipped from a child's hands.

"Now that was a close one!" The man chuckled out.

Fanzell walks up to the man.

"Who are you?" The red-haired man asked. "And what's with that grimoire?"

"Oh, you mean this?" The man pointed to his massive grimoire. "Yeah, I kinda had it as long as I remember. As for who I am... sorry, doesn't ring a bell."

"Oh, my bad." Fanzell stated in disappointment.

"But hey, if you wanna call me by a name, then you can call me _Heracles_!" The man grinned. "Nice to meet ya folks!"

"... Uhh, yeah. Likewise." Fanzell awkwardly replied.

Heracles clearly failed to recognize the wreckage around him, despite him saving the group.

"... So, you plan to get moving anytime soon?" Heracles asked. "I gotta get to the Ulster Alliance Territory quickly as possible, cuz there's a lot of strong mages that I can train with!"

"We would..." Fanzell stated. "... But during the attack, our oxen pulling our carriage kinda ran off elsewhere."

Heracles then scratches his chin before answering.

"Alright then!" Heracles spoke out. "I'll pull the carriage for you guys!"

"You sure?" Fanzell asked. "I mean, we're kinda heading to Liberatum in the Southwest of Spade Kingdom for refuge, and to do that, we're gonna have to cross Ulster..."

"Oh well, might as well train as we get there." Heracles pointed out. "As long as I set my foot there and meet with strong people, I'll be fine. Good enough?"

Fanzell lets out a sigh.

"... If you say so." The red-haired man sighed out.

"Perfect!"

The massive man lifts the carriage's reins behind his back, pulling it out of the muck caused by the previous battle.

"Alright, everyone all aboard!" Heracles shouted out.

"Wait." Fanzell stated. "... Where's Fana?"

He then immediately realizes that she didn't from the area where the campfire was at.

"... Oh crap."

He then runs towards the grounds where the campfires were at, and finds a massive mound of dirt.

"FANA!"

Fanzell then digs us her out with [Dancing Wind Empress-Updraft].

"... Thank god, she's still breathing." Fanzell sighed out in relief. "But just in case..."

He then casts [Dancing Wind Empress-Spring Breeze] to refill her lungs with oxygen.

"Someone please help!" Fanzell cried out as he dragged Fana out of the mound. "I need an extra shoulder for her to lean on!"

Mariella runs towards Fanzell and Fana, and the two carry the listless girl back towards the carriage.

"Alright, everyone on board?" Heracles asked.

"Everyone that's alive are accounted for!" Dominante confirmed.

"Normally, we would bury our dead, but after the fact, I don't we can afford to waste anymore time." Fanzell pointed out regretfully.

"Alright then!" Heracles spoke out. "Next stop, the Spade Kingdom!"

The muscular man tugs the carriage with ease, quickly picking up speed, leaving behind a trail of dust as the carriage traversed towards the sunrise.

* * *

 **Unknown Location, Diamond Kingdom, Morning**

* * *

"So the Protomen were defeated?"

"Yes, my prince." The female voice stated in the dimly-lit room. "We've lost signal for all five of the Protomen about a minute ago."

"Where were their last location before losing their signal?"

"... About that, my prince." The female voice awkwardly stated. "... We couldn't specify their exact location before we've lost signal. As in, they were no longer on this world, physically speaking."

"... What of the data collected, then? Are they recorded proper, or did they get deleted along with the Protomen?"

"Luckily, my prince, all the combat data collected are perfectly intact." The female voice stated.

"Let look at them."

"Of course, my prince."

"... So a [Smoke Magic] user, a [Wind Magic] user with a sword, a witch using [Cloth Magic], an assassin-mage using [Ice Magic], and an unknown [Gravity Magic] user that singlehandedly took out the Protomen at their strongest... Finally, a data worthwhile looking at..."

The figure from the darkness emerges, revealing the white-haired boy with topaz-snake eyes and rows of black scales adorning his cheekbones.

"Come with me, Cleo." The scaled boy ordered. "The rest of you, take the data and apply an addendum to our next mass-production combat units."

"Yessss, Prince Yama."

The figures that loomed behind the dark-skinned woman with the same black scales slithered away elsewhere.

The two Liliths walk downstairs, just about dimly-lit as the rest of their Underground Laboratory.

"Tell me, Cleo..." Yama asked. "... Just why do you think our friends that we've spared are heading to the Spade Kingdom, of all places?

"Even I do not know myself, my prince." Cleopatra replied. "Although I've heard rumors around the Clover Kingdom that their recent confrontation with said kingdom has turned into a cross-cultural negotiation."

"... Oh really?" Yama grinned.

"Even more alarming, there've been rumors of the one negotiating with the Clover Kingdom is a half-Demon."

Yama stops in his tracks before walking off towards another direction.

"Prince Yama?" Cleopatra called out. "Where are we heading? I thought we were heading down to the production lines!"

"That can wait later." Yama growled out. "Right now, we need to talk to our little friend."

Yama briskly walks down to the deepest level of the Underground Laboratory, waiting there being a massive steel gate with two other Liliths keeping vigil.

"Prince Yama!" One of the Lilith guards spoke out.

"Has he made any attempts of escape?" Yama asked.

"Negative." The other Lilith answered. "He's still bound up in the air, with no restraints being broken."

"Alright." Yama replied. "I'm going in alone. Tell Cleo to stay and wait outside."

"Yes Prince Yama."

The gates open, and Yama goes into the secluded chamber as the gates close behind him.

At the center of the room, was a shadowy, winged humanoid figure bound in straps of black leather and iron chains suspending it in the air, keeping it bound completely, preventing it from escaping, and to add even more security, several pillars of stone pressed against the bound figure from all directions, keeping it still in the air.

 **"... To what company do I** **receive?"** The bound figure spoke out.

"I want an explanation." Yama spoke to the bound figure. "Just how the hell is there a half-Demon walking about in this world? Is this one of experiments gone awry in the past, _Morris_!?"

The bound figure then lets out a wicked cackle as it heard that name.

 **"Oh please..."** "Morris" replied snidely. **"The man known as 'Morris' died with the rest of the Diamond Kingdom along with his accomplishments. For you see..."**

 **Name: [Mammon]**

 **Rank: [Gamchicoth]**

 **Magic: [Reaction Magic]**

 **Sin: [Selfishness]**

 **"... I am Mammon, reborn into a superior lifeform, abandoned all aspects that all mortals were burdened by, and evolved into a Demon!"**

Mammon then lets out another echoing cackle.

"... I'm going nowhere with this."

Yama then walks through the steel doors, without opening them, leaving Mammon to his own laughter echo in his prison tailor-made by Yama, to and for him exclusively.

"Prince Yama?" Cleopatra asked.

"Speed up the production of the [Homunculus Army]." Yama ordered. "While at it, send a scout to tail the activities in the Spade Kingdom."

"Yes Prince Yama." Cleopatra replied. "I'll notify all staff the message."

"Make it quick."

* * *

 **Qliphoth, Between [Limbo] and [Lust], Hell**

* * *

At the white roots of the Demon King's throne, eleven figures sat upon the branched-out roots.

 **"So... Who should I sucker today?"** A bat-like Demon mused.

 **Name: [Yetzer]**

 **Rank: 11th Seat, [Kelipot]**

 **Magic: [Voice Magic]**

 **Sin: [Temptation]**

 **"Oh keep your ploys to yourself. It's not like these worms will do anything meaningful even if their lives depended on it. But, that's just the way I like it."** An anglerfish-like Demon pointed out while twiddling with his lure.

 **Name: [Naamah]**

 **Rank: 10th Seat, [Nehemoth]**

 **Magic: [Word Magic]**

 **Sin: [Slander]**

 **"I second that. It's not like they wish to see what things really are, but rather, they only wish to see what they want to see."** A vulture-like Demon agreed as she set down a skull on her armrest.

 **Name: [Ereshkigal]**

 **Rank: 9th Seat, [Gamaliel]**

 **Magic: [Illusion Magic]**

 **Sin: [Deception]**

 **"Truly, all of creation is truly disgusting to even fathom. But, that only makes me look better in comparison."** A peacock-like Demon boasted as it flipped his hair.

 **Name: [Adrammelech]**

 **Rank: 8th Seat, [Samael]**

 **Magic: [Projection Magic]**

 **Sin: [Vanity]**

 **"Tch. It doesn't matter what you fucking cunts do with their sad lives. Hell, if I could help it, I would kill you all and vomit all over your corpses."** A ratel-like Demon spat out in disgust as he sharpened a dagger against his throne's armrests.

 **Name: [Cain]**

 **Rank: 7th Seat, [Harab** **Serapel]**

 **Magic: [Weapon Magic]**

 **Sin: [Hatred]**

 **"*Yawn* Would you fucks keep it down? I'm trying to get some shuteye here... And for the record, I couldn't give two craps on what you all think or plan, just don't rope me into another mess... *Yawn*"** A sloth-like Demon yawned out as it went back to sleep on its throne.

 **Name: [Belphegor]**

 **Rank: 6th Seat, [Thagirion]**

 **Magic: [Game Magic]**

 **Sin: [Sloth]**

 **"Oh come now, Bel-dear~. Even as a Demon, you just can't waste away down here for eternity~! You have to take this chance while it's open, and then _thrust_ yourself into the action, _f_ _ull throttle_ , baby~!" **A horse-like Demon moaned out as he squirmed like a worm with a perverted look on his face.

 **Name: [Asmodeus]**

 **Rank: 5th Seat, [Golachab]**

 **Magic: [Vector Magic]**

 **Sin: [Lust]**

 **"While I'm all for taking open opportunities, I'm not in it for the pleasure. After all, in the business of materialism, tributes don't collect themselves."** A lioness-like Demon pointed out while she was counting her pile of coins next to her throne.

 **Name: [Ishtar]**

 **Rank: 4th Seat, [Gamachicoth]**

 **Magic: [Gauge Magic]**

 **Sin: [Greed]**

 **"... ARGH! WHAT THE HELL, ISHTAR!? ARE YOU TRYING TO RUIN ME WITH YOUR NEEDINESS!? IN FACT, DID ALL OF YOU CALL ME JUST TO SPITE ME!? HUH!?"** A mouse-like Demon shrieked out in terror as she pointed her finger at everyone else.

 **Name: [Lucifuge]**

 **Rank: 3rd Seat, [Sathariel]**

 **Magic: [Discernment Magic]**

 **Sin: [Paranoia]**

 **"Hey hey hey. I ain't after your scrawny ass. Hell, you ain't even worth my damn time. No seriously, there's barely any meat on you for me to even chew on."** An alligator-like Demon scoffed out while chewing on an arm in his massive maw.

 **Name: [Beelzebub]**

 **Rank: 2nd Seat, [Chaigidel]**

 **Magic: [Drain Magic]**

 **Sin: [Gluttony]**

 **"ENOUGH!"** A massive dragon-like Demon with four horns and four bat wings wings roared out furiously.

All of the Nine Layers trembled before the massive horned Demon's roar.

 **"... Much better. Now we can discuss the matter at hand. Any one of you try to even derail the discussion, I will throw your ass all the way DOWN THE BOTTOMMOST LAYER, EVEN IF IT MEANS BREAKING THROUGH THE PREVIOUS EIGHT IF I HAVE TO!"**

 **Name: [Satan]**

 **Rank: 1st Seat, [Thamiel]**

 **Magic: [Inverse Magic]**

 **Sin: [Wrath]**

 **"*Yawn* Shut the fuck up, Satan..."** Belphegor yawned out unamused. **"I didn't even wanna be here until you had to drag me all the way up from [Fraud]. At least Beelzebub keeps to himself and respects my boundaries..."**

 **"At least Beelzebub is more agreeable then you."** Satan growled out. **"In fact, the rest of them, even Lucifuge over there, agreed to come willingly."**

 **"ONLY BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU BASTARDS WOULDN'T GET ME INVOLVED!"** Lucifuge screeched out her accusations. **"BUT NOOO! YOU FUCKS DRAGGED ME INTO THIS, DIDN'T YOU!?"**

 **"Only because you yourself, despite being so meticulous, is gullible beyond comprehension."** Ishtar dryly remarked as she flipped a gold coin.

 **"I KNEW IT! SO YOU ADMIT IT, ISHTAR!"** Lucifuge accused the lioness-like Demon. **"YOU PLANNED ALL OF THIS, DIDN'T YOU-"**

 **"ENOUGH!"**

Satan's roar quakes all Nine Layers once more.

 **"Regardless of any of your reasons, all of you will remain."** Satan growled out. **"All objections will be met with a one-way-trip down to [Treachery] by my hands, UNDERSTOOD!?"**

His roars quake the Nine Layers once again.

 **"... Good. No objections then."** Satan growled out. **"Now let the meeting of the [Eleven Elusive Evils] commence without further** **interruption."**

The [Eleven Elusive Evils], a certain group of 11 Demons who've matured past their imperfect Stygian stage, now each bearing their own unique identity, are the Demons closest to the Demon King Apocrypha itself in terms of raw power, with each one of them being able to destroy entire civilizations in an instant, act as the adjuncts to the Demon King's will, managing each contract that connects the living world with Hell, taking advantage of the human's innate sins to further their wills to their own ends.

On what the ends themselves are, not even the Demons themselves know.

 **"It has been over a millennia since the Demon King had entrusted his will to an upstart Fallen Angel. The end result being not only him failing twice, but also resulting in the Demon King being summoned in its larval state 500 years later, causing the Demon King to be marooned in the world of the living, along with the rest of the Demons summoned to said world."** Satan pointed out.

 **"Our contracts from the world of the living have been on the decline as of late."** Ishtar stated. **"Even though the Qliphoth has been amassing more souls to Hell, our profit margins in the world of the living has gone down by 74%."**

 **"While I did managed to spread enough of our influence through my powers, even I'm starting to become a little concerned of our failsafe's success."** Asmodeus brought up. **"Even** **worse, it's way late to _pull out_ now, since the ploy's way past its _climax_ and the fruits of my labor has already been ejectculated-"**

 **"The point is!"** Naamah cut off Asmodeus's double entandre. **"... Is that our ploys' successes have been dwindling, and even though some of our contemporaries on the other side have been doing our work and covering our disastrous losses, even I agree that it won't be sufficient enough."**

 **"Simply put, it's that damn Lucifer's fault that everything that we've each worked on has gone to total shit."** Cain snarled out as he picked his teeth with his dagger.

 **"WAIT!? WHY ME!?"** Lucifuge cried out.

 **"I SAID 'LUCIFER'! NOT YOU, DUMBASS!"** Cain barked back at Lucifuge.

 **"ENOUGH!"**

Satan slams his arm against his throne's armrest. Everyone sans Belphegor were rattled by the quaking.

 **"... Anyone else?"** Satan asked.

 **"I'd like to point out a few things."** Ereshkigal spoke out. **"Firstly, it seems that the humans have done more evil acts then we initially anticipated. The near-extinction of the Elven race, the disastrous war between two kingdoms, and the slow burn of the class prejudice has been leeching away our profit margin, as Ishtar would put it. Point is, humans are gradually becoming more and more evil."**

 **"... And why should that *Yawn*... Be our problem?"** Belphegor asked.

 **"Don't you get it, you boob!?"** Yetzer answered. **"If humans become too evil, then they'll stop relying on us and eventually render all of us obsolete!"**

 **"And that, I cannot tolerate!"** Adrammelech cried out. **"We Demons have a reputation as the worst of creation to uphold! To be forced to share the limelight with these upstarts!? Unacceptable!"**

 **"Not to mention, they'll be broken out of our control."** Beelzebub pointed out. **"The problem with humans is that not only they're willing to bite off more then they can chew, but they will succeed, regardless of reason."**

 **"And that itself cannot be allowed."** Satan pointed out. **"The Origin has created humanity to be the most resourceful race out of all the established 6 races. If they grow beyond their boundaries, the balance that we upheld under the Demon King's name will be destroyed."**

 **"... Ye-Yeah."** Lucifuge stuttered out. **"The status quo cannot be** **disturbed, r-right?"**

 **"But if only we can venture out of the gates and be able to return on a whim..."** Ishtar groaned out. **"Honestly, Lucifer's recklessness is costing us greatly."**

 **"... Then let him do what he wills."**

Upon hearing those words, everyone looked towards Yetzer.

 **"What do you mean, Yetzer?"** Beelzebub asked.

The bat-Demon simply grins.

 **"... All I'm saying, is that we _join_ this little game of [Armageddon]." **Yetzer suggests. **"Not directly, but let our King's so-called champions do our work for us, sweep the rug under their feet, and we come in and reestablish our dominion over the world of the living."**

 **"Oh, a _threesome_?"** Asmodeus cooed. **"Count me interested~!"**

 **"*Yawn* As long as I'm not in the middle of it, count me in."** Belphegor yawned out.

 **"I suppose it's about time we taught those upstarts their place."** Adremmelech agreed.

 **"As much as I hate your asinine plan, I happen to hate those four even more."** Cain stated. **"Just don't get in my way."**

 **"It's better then not having any plans, I suppose."** Ishtar shrugged.

 **"Oh, I'm salivating to see their stupefied looks on their faces."** Ereshkigal gleefully stated.

 **"I second that motion."** Naamah raised his hand.

 **"AS LONG AS I'M NOT THE INTENDED TARGET, COUNT ME IN! BUT DON'T EXPECT THAT I'LL DO WHAT YOU FUCKS SAY!"** Lucifuge squaked out.

 **"... I'm willing to try something new for a change."** Beelzebub stated.

Satan simply glares his hellfire-like pupils towards Yetzer.

 **"Your plan better not fail."**

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And one more chapter done!

It was a blast writing his Saga, with the Demons now becoming more proactive, Angra/Magna's older sister now acting as the **canon Word Devil's** unwilling host, our Diamond Kingdom Remnants embarking on their new journey, the whole Super Sentai bullcrap, "Heracles" being basically Goku with amnesia, Yama being back after what? 5-7 Sagas later?

Oh, and the [Eleven Elusive Evils]. If the Demon King was like the don, then the eleven are like his underbosses, while the four factions are their own semi-independent branches, with rest of Hell's Demons being the goons.

Regardless, a lot of new characters have been introduced, so here are their voices (for funsies, as usual):

 **Daisy Whomalt: Rina Endou (JPN), Apphia Yu (ENG)**

 **Peony Whomalt: Aoi Yukki (JPN), Veronica Taylor (ENG)**

 **Violet Whomalt: Sarah Emi Bridcutt (JPN), Shannon Emerick (ENG)**

 **Iris Whomalt: Romi Park (JPN), Elisa Melendez (ENG)**

 **Protomen (Collectively): Jun'ya Enoki (ENG), Ray Chase (ENG)**

 **Heracles: Sairi Ito (JPN), Sean Schemmel (ENG)**

 **Yetzer: Shougo Yano (JPN), Orion Pitts (ENG)**

 **Naamah: Yukki Kaji (ENG), Anthony Bowling (ENG)**

 **Ereshkigal: Kana Ueda (ENG), Carli Mosier (ENG)**

 **Adrammelech: Hikaru Midorikawa (JPN), David Trosko (ENG)**

 **Cain:** **Subaru Kimura (JPN),** **Kaiji Tang (ENG)**

 **Belphegor: Shun Horie (JPN), Briana Palencia (ENG)**

 **Asmodeus: Yuu Kobayashi (JPN), Clint Bickham (ENG)**

 **Ishtar: Kana Ueda (JPN), Carli Mosier (ENG)**

 **Lucifuge: Ayumi Tsuji (JPN), Erica Mendez (ENG)**

 **Beelzebub: Tomoaki Maeno (JPN), Keith Silverstein (ENG)**

 **Satan: Joji Nakada (JPN), Travis Willingham (ENG)**

Also, as for me in IRL, finally some good news.

I can now eat actual food now! But sadly, no raw protein (meaning no sushi and poke bowls) is allowed.

Also, can't go to the gym for another month. And I'm already feeling a little crappy physically (not in health-way, but fitness as a whole).

:(

... So what do you guys think of this Saga?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience is thinking!


	33. Saga 33: Hellhound on my Trail Part 1

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 33: Hellhound on my Trail Part 1**

* * *

 **Blue Rose Knights Headquarters, Clover Kingdom, Noble Realm, Afternoon**

* * *

For the past several weeks, both before and after the attack on the Capital, the Blue Rose Knights have been following the trail of evidence of the recently-unearthed human trafficking ring permeated across the Clover Kingdom.

Even as the headquarters themselves were currently being repaired, the investigations still continued for them. While the Blue Rose Knights have lost over 20% of Knights, the rest remaining were still remaining vigilant, if not, more than ever.

As Charlotte along with a few other Senior-ranked Blue Rose Knights looked through the evidence (all of them intact, only a few of them covered in blood), the Captain sighed out in exhaustion from built-up fatigue from overwork.

"Captain, you can leave the rest to us, you know." One of the knights stated.

"No, it's only the afternoon." Charlotte protested. "If I leave now, it'll be irresponsible of me to do so. As Captain, I must set a proper example for my subordinates."

"An hour won't kill you, Captain." Another knight stated. "And besides, you're not the only one setting an example."

"... Fine. But only an hour." Charlotte grumbled out as she headed out the door. "But as soon as I get back, all of you are to take a break for two hours, understood?"

"Yes yes, Captain. Now, off you go." The knight stated as she pushed Charlotte out of her own office.

Charlotte then heads out to the headquarter's rose gardens (miraculously, it was spared amidst the attack and remained untouched), sitting down by the marble fountain, looking out to her roses for solace.

Charlotte takes off her silver helmet and lets out a sigh.

 _"It's been nearly a month after that attack, and the entire Kingdom is doing what it can to repair the Capital."_ Charlotte thought to herself. _"And even then, we lost nearly a fifth of the entire Magic Knights during that attack, stretching our staff extremely thin..."_

She brushed her hand over her bandaged nose, remembering that Spade Kingdom vagabond's odd magic that nearly ripped her nose off of her face, but leaving a massive scar running across the equator of her face.

 _"... Just wondering, are all of the mages in the Spade Kingdom strong as he is?"_ Charlotte thought. _"This whole state of affairs that we're in... Can it be all just a calm before the storm. I mean, who knows when the Spade Kingdom will stop fighting entirely and turn their might against us?_

She shook her head, trying to shake off those unpleasant feelings.

"No, get a hold of yourself, Charlotte." She said to herself. "The worst is over, and there's more to come."

As she tries to relax from this crazy-ass fanatic scheduling of hers, she then hears footsteps coming her way.

"BIG SI-OWOWOWOWOWOW I MEAN CAPTAIN!"

Charlotte then finds Sol and Cole still bound together by her [Tough Love Cuffs], both of their wrists now heavily scarred from the thorns around them.

"What is it?" Charlotte asked the Magic Knight.

"You see-ACK!"

"Let me take it from here." Cole cut in, pushing aside Sol. "About the human trafficking ring-"

"We found em where they been hiding at-"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!? YOU'RE INTERRUPTING ME FROM GIVING THE REPORT TO CAPTAIN CHARLOTTE!"

"And you two are interrupting me in my break."

The [Tough Love Cuffs] tighten once more, digging their thorns into their wrists once again, causing them to stop arguing with each other, due to the pain caused by the briars piercing towards their bone.

"Reconvene at my office within an hour." Charlotte dispassionately stated as the two Knights in disciplinary action were squirming in pain. "Because right now, I'm _not_ in the mood."

She then heads to a nearby tea table and rests her head onto it.

"Wake me up in an hour, or get someone else to do it."

* * *

 _ **An Hour Later...**_

* * *

"Finally, we may cover on this update." Charlotte spoke to Sol and Cole, both accompanied/chaperoned by Juniper, Noire, Lyra, and Cygnus. "So what's the news?"

Juniper clears her throat before speaking.

"Over the past few days, our division has been following various eyewitness reports and missing-person-cases throughout the Kingdom." Juniper stated. "Recently, the trail started around the Diamond/Clover Borderlands, but all of the sudden, the trail went cold, resulting in a dead end within our search. However, the cutpurse that the Green Mantis Knight apprehended few months back turned out to have some connection with the ring, leading us to restart our trail all the way back out in the Forbidden Realm. From there, the trail continued from the Spade/Clover Borderlands to the general areas scattered around the Common Realm, with the most recent report stating that their most recent activity is being held around Nean."

"So Nean then..." Charlotte pointed out. "What could be their purpose? And what evidence indicates that the ring are going to be in operation around that area for a while, assuming that they just won't go up and back before going elsewhere?"

"Probably because of these two." Noire stated as she set down posters depicting a portly man with a sneer and a wispy-looking man with messy snow-blue hair. "Baro Sluice and Neige Sluice. The two of them are small-time contractor-specialists in the criminal underworld. Fatty there is smarter then he looks, [Mud Magic] was reportedly used to dispose of bodies, where shrimpy there has [Snow Magic] that specializes in convert operations involving espionage to abduction. The two are together known as the Avalanche Brothers, as those two are known to leave no witnesses during their work."

"So how are they still considered small-time despite their reputation?" Cole pointed out.

"Mainly because those two are so unimpressive around the criminal underworld for due to being so slippery." Noire answered. "As soon as they're found, they're going to make a run for it, no questions asked. Despite that, they're constantly hired since they are good at what they're doing. But thanks to them, we've managed to capture other rouge mages due to them only prioritizing their own skin, which is how we're going to bust this human trafficking ring."

"So they're the lure." Juniper spoke out. "So, that concludes our report. What are your orders, Captain?"

Charlotte then looks over the recently-filed evidence of this trafficking ring.

"Remain on standby until I finish going over the files." Charlotte stated. "Remain prudent, for one misstep will cost us the entire operation, understood?"

"Yes ma'am!" All of them saluted.

"Dismissed."

Juniper, Lyra, Cygnus, Noire, Cole, and Sol all step outside of the Captain's study and all of them begin discussing their thoughts on the matter.

"So, we're getting close." Juniper spoke out. "After an accidental encounter, months of investigation, and an out of the blue attack on the capital that left both countless Magic Knights and civilians dead... only to finally corner them in some random town. Kinda feels anticlimactic, after all the crap we went through."

"A job's a job." Cygnus coolly stated. "As long as we get it done, we won't have to worry about it later on."

"Not only that..." Lyra quietly pointed out. "... But less people will likely get hurt."

"... I suppose you're right." Juniper sighed out. "Sorry about acting like a bit of a downer."

"Eh, it's alright!" Sol replied in a chipper tone. "Happens to the best of us!"

"Which is all the time for you, Miss Marron." Cole snidely remarked.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY-"

The thorn bindings then constrict the two's wrists, forcing them to kneel down in pain.

"OH MY GOD! WHY FEELING THE PAIN!?" Cole screeched out. "I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO GET USED TO THIS!"

Noire just walks ahead with a resigned look on her face.

 _"Happy place, happy place, happy place..."_ Noire thought fervently as she tried to ignore the cringefest behind her. _"Mistress Corrin is all that matters to me..."_

* * *

 **Golden Dawn Headquarters, Noble Realm, Early Evening**

* * *

"ACHOO!"

Corrin scratches her nose.

"... Wait a minute, didn't pollen season pass about two months ago?" Corrin pointed out. "Ugh, I'm going to bed early today..."

* * *

 **Nean Outskirts, Clover Kingdom, Common Realm, Midnight**

* * *

In the darkened forest, two cloaked figures look out towards the sleeping town.

One was slightly taller than the other, the former carrying a massive greatbow, the latter having twinswords sheathed around the waist.

"So..." The figure with the bow spoke to the figure with the twin swords. "Anything going on in that village?"

"A few Magic Knights, all female, wearing blue with roses on their robes, have been stationed within the village." The shorter figure stated. "Internal recon is now nigh-impossible."

"Any sighting of the Demons?" The archer asked.

The swordsman shakes its head.

"Then assume that they're onto us." The archer replied. "Tell the others. The village is off-limits during the duration of our mission."

* * *

 **Nean, Clover Kingdom, Common Realm, Late Afternoon**

* * *

"Yuno, are you should be walking around?" Jericho asked. "I mean today's our day off, but you just got clearance two days ago."

"I'm fine." Yuno grunted out. "I'm already used to walking with crutches."

His metal foot clanks against the stone-paved streets of Nean along with his wooden crutch, stumbling along with the massive Jericho as his traveling companion.

"I'm only being a friend here, Yuno." Jericho pointed out. "You're strong and all, but you still can't tell if you're straining yourself."

"If I don't strain myself, how will I become the next Wizard King?" Yuno retorted.

"How you're supposed to become the Wizard King if you break?" Jericho pointed out.

"I won't, that I swore." Yuno replied sharply. "A missing foot won't stop me."

"... Can't stop you, can I?" Jericho sighed out. "But still, that doesn't mean I'll just leave you hanging."

"That's what friends are for?" Yuno asked.

Jericho nods.

"Heh." Yuno scoffed. "Thanks."

The two then continue walking down the streets of Nean, only for a little girl to bump into Yuno's footless leg, causing both to stumble.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" The girl apologized.

"No, it's kinda my fault." Yuno replied. "Anyway, are you all right-"

Yuno and Jericho both freeze upon seeing the girl.

"Hmm?" The girl tilted her head. "Is something the matter?"

The two Black Bulls look at each other before nodding mutually.

"Umm, excuse me..." Jericho asked nervously. "... Do you happen to know a person who goes by _Gauche Adlai_?"

"You mean _my older brother_?" The girl replied innocently.

 _"Oh shitpickles."_

"RUN-"

A beam of light shoots towards the two, with Jericho tackling Yuno out of the way of the blast, sending debris flying.

 **"Oi."**

The two look up, spotting Gauche, on his broom, carrying several bags of toys and dresses, surrounded by several magic mirrors, and glaring holes into the two Black Bulls.

 **"What did I say of what happening to you two if you so much as touch my _sister_?" **Gauche's voice rumbled out as he himself emitted a _murderous_ aura.

"... In our defense, Mr. Adlai?" Jericho pleaded as a last attempt of mercy. "You didn't exactly tell us that she lived in Nean. Small world, really."

 **"Die."**

Several rays of light fired upon the two Black Bulls, causing them to flee from Gauche's wrath.

"BIG BROTHER, STOP IT!" The girl screamed out. "THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!"

 **"THEIR CRIME IS THAT THEY MADE MY LITTLE MARIE TRIP AND FALL! SHE COULD'VE SCRAPED HER KNEE!"** Gauche retorted as he sent his mirrors to pursue the two fleeing Black Bulls. **"THE ONLY SENTENCE IS DEATH!"**

Gauche then descends down to Marie, hand offered to the girl, with his initial bloodlust now completely disappeared behind his facade.

"Now come, my little angel." Gauche smiled. "No one's here to interrupt our long-awaited date."

Suddenly, Gauche hears barking.

He turns his head, only to find a runty-looking mutt with black and white fur, barking at him.

"No doggy!" Marie cried out. "That's Gauche that I've been talking about!"

Gauche's murderous intent then resurfaces upon coming to the realization that his Marie was accompanied by a mere dog, of all things, before himself.

In instinct, Gauche punts the mutt away, striking it against a nearby wastebasket.

"Big bro!"

"We're leaving now, Marie-"

"That's enough, you siscon delinquent."

Behind Gauche and Marie, an elderly nun with a single scar running down over one of her eyes, accompanied by other kids around Marie's age.

"Oh, it's you, you friggin' old hag."

"I'd watch your mouth, you insufferable twerp." The nun replied. "Your sister's here, after all. You're enough of a toxic influence on her."

"Right back at you, _she-devil_."

"Ungrateful cretin."

"Has-been amazon."

"Pedofile."

The nun and Gauche stared each other down, with Marie and the other kids as witnesses, while the kicked puppy simply limped away from them, shivering in fear.

"... Regardless, Marie, please don't run off on your own." The nun spoke to Marie. "Nean is your home, but it's still my responsibility to watch over your well-being."

"I can take care of her on my own just fine, _Theresa_." Gauche bit out.

"Yeah, you should've told me that _after_ you got your rear thrown into the slammer." Sister Theresa snidely remarked. "Are you sure you're not breaching your parole agreement?"

"One day per month, that's what the parole agreement said." Gauche pointed out. "I spent all of my pay so I can spoil my little angel rotten, so don't you dare stop me or my love, you bridge troll!"

"You know that she's going to share that with the other kids in my care, right?" Theresa pointed out, with Marie nodding in agreement.

"For in order to see my little Marie smile, I'll pay any price." Gauche boldly declared.

The Sister sighs out in resignation.

"Fine, but I better see her return safely back home by sundown." Theresa stated. "Also, call off your [Mirror Magic] before someone gets seriously hurt."

A sound of an explosion was heard from a distance, followed up by screams of pain from Yuno and Jericho.

"*Sigh* I said any price." Gauche stated. "So I shall, but only for _Marie's_ sake."

He snaps his fingers, with the mana signatures of Gauche's mirrors disappearing.

"Alright, have fun, you two." Theresa stated. "Just don't get too crazy."

"We'll be back soon, Sister!" Marie waved as she and Gauche flew up on the broom.

The two siblings then fly off towards the directions of a nearby bakery, as evidenced by the scent of raspberry scones coming from their trail.

"... Hmph, the brat hasn't changed a bit." Theresa remarked. "But I suppose he's got that going for him."

"Um, Sister Theresa?" One of the kids asked. "Will we have families like that someday?"

The nun sighs out.

"Hope for the best, kiddo." Theresa replied. " _Sephira_ knows that this kingdom can use more of..."

At the other end of the Nean, Yuno and Jericho lie on the stone streets, completely battered and burnt slightly.

"... So much for a day off." Yuno grumbled out.

"Mm hm." Jericho grumbled out in agreement.

"What the hell are the Black Bulls doing here?"

The two look up, only to find a short, pigtailed girl with the Blue Rose Knights robe draped over her shoulders.

"... I'm assuming today's not your day off." Jericho pointed out. "And no, our captain stated that our day off is _mandatory_."

"Hmph, then I won't pry." The Blue Rose Knight stated with a slight huff.

"So you're Noire?" Yuno asked the girl. "Juniper mentioned you in her letters."

Noire ignores Yuno's words, opting to leave the two and head elsewhere.

"... Curious, but what did the letters say about this Noire character?" Jericho asked. "I mean, I did see her during the Decoration Ceremony, but that's about it."

Yuno lets out a tired sigh.

"Yep, aloof as hell."

* * *

 **Nean Outskirts, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom, Evening**

* * *

Outside of the town, a special detachment of Blue Rose Knights were secretly sent out to survey the surrounding areas around Nean.

The Five Divas, led by Masquerade, traverse the surrounding forest under the night sky, searching for any signs of the rumored human traffickers.

"Just where the hell are these guys?" Bastet gritted out, accompanied by her [Beast Magic: Canis Minor], sniffing our the earth. "We've been searching for hours, and there's no sign of them!"

"Aion, did we cover the entire forest?" Masquerade asked the blind swordswoman.

"We did." The blind mage replied. "About an hour _prior_ , but _someone_ withheld that information from us."

"Oh my~!" Morrigan remarked with faux-shock. "It seems we've been walking in circles all this time!"

"Why didn't you tell us sooner, Morrigan!?" Papillion cried out in frustration.

"Dunno~" The witch replied. "I thought our fearless leader knew this whole time, am I right, fearless leader~?"

"Ladies, focus!" Masquerade shouted out. "The more time we waste, the more likely that our target will get away!"

"Agreed." Aion stated. "Let's try the cave nearby."

As they all turned towards where the cave stood, all five of them hear a branch snap.

Masquerade turns her head, and sees two cloaked figures running away from them.

"AFTER THEM!"

The five give chase through the forest.

"Your orders?" Bastet asked Masquerade.

"MINIMAL FORCE! TAKE THEM ALIVE FOR QUESTIONING!"

"Copy that." Bastet stated. "[Beast Magic: Lynx]!"

An astral projection of a lynx gave chase towards the two cloaked figures.

"Get em', Sugar!" Bastet ordered.

As the lynx gave chase, one cloaked figure drew out a greatbow, and pulled back two arrows towards them.

The arrows fire, but one hits the ground in front of the lynx, while the other flies over their heads.

"Ha, you missed-"

The ground shot by the arrow then opens a portal, akin to [Spatial Magic], causing the lynx to fall into the hole, landing right on top of Bastet's head, slowing her down immensely.

"Dammit, they're getting away!"

"Not on my watch!" Papillion boldly declared as she drew her rapier. "[Silver Creation Magic: _Jardin d'épées_ ]!"

Several silver swords burst out of the ground towards the two cloaked figures.

The other cloaked figure then casts a spell, causing both of them to suddenly float off of the ground and fly away.

"Oh no they don't~!" Morrigan stated in a singsong fashion as she got on her broom-staff and flew towards them while opening her grimoire. "[Dark Binding Magic: Underworld Prisoner Shackles]!"

A ball and chain made of darkness clasps the two cloaked figures' ankles, weighing them down, and anchoring them back to the earth.

"ALRIGHT, APPREHEND THEM!"

The lynx and [Canis Minor] pounce onto the two, allowing the rest of the Five Divas to catch up to them.

"Alright, we got you now." Masquerade stated to the cloaked figures as she herself donned [Mask Magic: Mr. Xavier]. **"Now reveal yourselves."**

"Tch, do what they say." The taller cloaked figure stated. "It's not worth the trouble."

The two then take off their hoods, revealing a male and a female.

The male was to be in his late-twenties, small goatee and mustache, long black hair draped around his head, and his left eye covered with an eyepatch emblemed with a silver cross over it.

The female was a young woman in her early twenties, braided raven-black hair, small, slightly visible pink blushes on her cheeks, and sharp blue eyes staring down at the Divas with defiance.

 **"Alright, here's how it'll go down."** Masquerade stated. **"My mask allows me to discern truths from lies from your tells, body language, and nervous stimuli. Bullshit me, I dare you."**

Aion readies to quick-draw her sword while Papillion points her rapier at the two.

 **"First question."** Masquerade asked as her blue monoeye glowed menacingly. **"Just who are you two, and what are your** **intentions?"**

The eyepatched man lets out a deep sigh before speaking.

"... Name's Dragunov." The eyepatched man revealed. "The lass with me is Kalashnikov. And we're here on a mission from Avalon."

 **"Where is this 'Avalon'?"**

"Spade Kingdom, westward, constantly snowing even around this time of year, hard to miss." Dragunov answered. "And no, we're not here to invade or anything. It just happens that our target of pursuit slipped through the borders, and we managed to corner it around this area."

As audacious as Dragunov's claims were, there were no indications of him lying.

So instead of pressing on that matter, she continued to press for more questions.

 **"Just what is your target?"**

"A bloody _Demon_ , you _suka_." Kalashnikov spat out in disgust. "Don't tell me you've never gone around and seen one yourself."

"Niko, not now!" Dragunov shushed at the lass. "... Sorry, she's just a little temperamental."

Kalashnikov spits out to the side before huffing her head away.

"A Demon~?" Morrigan pointed out. "Aren't they just mere myths~?"

"Believe in what you want, lady." Dragunov stated. "Point is, that Demon finds a foothold, then this whole kingdom gets fucked."

The lynx snarls at Dragunov, with the attempt of intimidation failing at the unflappable man.

 **"Regardless of your reasoning, it still doesn't change the fact that you've illegally crossed the borders into the Clover Kingdom."** Masquerade stated firmly. **"You two will be apprehended for further questioning. Come with us quietly, or we will use force-"**

"LADY, GET DOWN!"

Dragunov picks up his greatbow, and shoots an arrow right across her masked cheek...

... Nailing a black-furred wolf onto a tree behind them, the arrow itself impaling through the wolf's open maw and out the back of its head.

"... _Gówno_ , they're onto us." Dragunov cursed. "Hey hat lady, get these things off of us!"

"And why should I-"

Morrigan was interrupted by more wolves pouncing upon her.

"NIKO!"

The blushed lass draws her twin swords and throws them at the wolves, stabbing them into their necks, killing them dead.

"No time to explain, you _diswki_!" Kalashnikov cursed out as she reached out for her swords. "Release us before we all get ourselves killed!"

"Fine..."

Morrigan snaps her fingers, releasing the [Dark Magic] shackles from their ankles.

 **"What's going on?"** Masquerade asked Dragunov. **"Are these wolves actually Demons that you were talking about!?"**

The eyepatched archer lets out a deep sigh as the braided lady affixes a small rod-like object with a red thread tied to the end of its brass tip between the corner of her lips as she retrieves her twinswords.

"Here they come, ladies..." Dragunov stated grimly as he nocked an arrow onto his bowstring.

A loud and _foreboding_ howl echoed across the mid-spring dusk skies above the darkening forest.

"... The _Hellhounds_ are coming."

* * *

 **Nean, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom, Night**

* * *

"... It's official, this day off sucked." Jericho glumly stated while Yuno was packing away food into his mouth at a local eatery.

"To be fair..." Yuno spoke through his food in his mouth. "... There wasn't much to do here to begin with."

"Now that I think about it..." Jericho pointed out. "... You do nothing but train, do you?"

"Right back at you." Yuno retorted. "At the base, I see you doing push-ups with your shirt off."

"That's not what I meant, Yuno." Jericho spoke out. "What I mean, Yuno, is that... do have a hobby?"

"... What's a hobby?" Yuno asked.

Jericho pinched the bridge of his nose.

"... I feel like a man dying of thirst while watching another man drown." Jericho muttered out. "... Look Yuno, what I'm saying is, life is simply more than just being the next Wizard King."

"What else is there for me but to become the next Wizard King?" Yuno asked in confusion.

"Is that all that's there to you, Yuno?" Jericho asked. "Just you and the throne of the Wizard King? What of your family back at Hage? The Black Bulls? Juniper? Corrin? For god's sake, Yuno, your [Sylph] is worried sick of you dying from overwork."

The small fae creature sitting on the table nods glumly, taking a small bite out of her serving of Moguro Fruit.

"... Look Yuno. I'm not saying that your dreams aren't worth chasing after. In fact, I think your dreams of becoming the next Wizard King is quite pure and earnest." Jericho pointed out. "... But tell me, is it really worth literally _dying_ for?"

Upon hearing those words, Yuno stares into his mug of ale in contemplation.

 _"... Can I really become the next Wizard King if I die before I can become one myself?"_

Yuno gulps as his fervent thoughts began to race through his head.

But as Yuno continues his thoughts, the doorbell rings, indicating another customer.

"Welcome!" A young woman called out. "Can get you started on anything."

"Ugh, water." A deeply-accented voice spoke out. "Apparently, this town doesn't have anything good to get wasted on."

Yuno looks at the new customer, a short male (only slightly taller than Charmy as reference) with slightly messy mustard-blonde hair, wearing a white suit with a black suit jacket and shorts, with a pair of leather boots strapped around his feet.

The short male then looks at the two, before getting off of his seat and approach the two.

"Pardon me, but you two with that Yami fellow I've met before?" The short man asked. "I mean, those robes."

"Uhh... yeah." Jericho awkwardly replied. "... And you are?"

"Eh, just a traveling bartender." The short man stated. "Thought I try the booze around here, but all I got for my buck are nothin' but mugs of piss, I'd tell ya."

Behind the counter, the redheaded kids all chortle.

"Hey now, you two." The woman sighed out. "Don't make fun of the man just because he's short."

"For your information, I'm 32!" The short man pointed out towards the kids behind the countertop.

"So where you from?" The redhead kid asked.

"Spade Kingdom." The short man answered. "I kinda like it there, but I thought that I'd expand my business to this little kingdom. I like my loyal customers and all, but can I go one week, one bloody week, without having to mend my tavern's rooftops?"

The two Black Bulls look at each other awkwardly, trying to figure out what's going on.

"And before you think that I'm trespassing, I'd like to point out that I kinda made an agreement with the Wizard King himself to allow me to stay here temporarily, or at least until I get a few customers here." The man pointed out at the two Black Bulls. "... But, that happened after I hospitalized several of those Magic Knight schmucks that tried to burn down my establishment. Swear to god, I just can't go a single week without getting my tavern caught on fire..."

"Wait, you were the one who injured Vice Captain Magna!?" Yuno asked.

"... Sorry kid, they didn't ask for names, so gonna have to be more specific than that." The man replied while he waved away at the youth. "Although if you're talking about that kid with the weird-ass broom, don't worry, I just broke all of his ribs after he set my roof on fire."

"Everyone, upstairs." The lady whispered to the kids as she shooed them away for their safety.

"YOU NEARLY KILLED HIM!" Jericho roared out.

"Well, that was after I noticed that none of those so-called Magic Knights can take a single punch." The man stated. "Special mention goes to that snide-looking prick with the [Spatial Magic]. Tried to kill my pig, I killed all of his children still swimming in his bawbags."

Jericho sort of knew that the man was talking about Langris, and for him, good riddance.

But still, it didn't change the fact that this short man had hurt one of their own, and Jericho and Yuno had every right to feel this boiling rage inside of them.

"... Allow me ask you this question once more." Jericho growled out. "Who are you?"

The short man scratches his hair before answering.

"Name's Dagda." The short man introduced. "And I assure you, I'm just a traveling bartender from the Spade Kingdom."

"That's all needed to hear."

Jericho than forms [Stardust Knuckles] and swings his fist towards Dagda's face.

However, the massive gauntleted fist was blocked...

... By the man's _pinky_.

"What!?" Jericho cried out. "And without [Mana Skin]!?"

"Huh, guess we got a fighter around these parts after all." Dagda pointed out. "And a half-Jotun, no less."

"Wait, half-Jotun?" Jericho pointed out.

"Doesn't matter." Dagda sighed out in disappointment. "All of my fights end the same; usually as the other guy get sent flying out of a window."

Dagda then begins to emit a powerful aura.

"[Counter Magic: Full Counter]."

With a massive explosion of mana, Jericho was sent flying out of the door.

"Jericho!"

Yuno stumbles out the door, only to find out that the whole town was _snowing_.

"Wha-What the hell!?" Yuno cried out in surprise.

"Umm, don't wanna be that guy, but I'm pretty sure that it in the middle of May right now." Dagda pointed out. "Either that, or this shite is magic."

"Enough of that..." Jericho groaned out as he got back up. "What's going on here?"

From the looks of it, the sky has gone completely dark, with snow falling from the sky, in the middle of May.

"Yuno?" Jericho spoke out.

"Dagda's right." Yuno responded. "This snow ain't normal."

The three look around the snow-covered town, with the temperature steadily dropping, their breaths becoming visible to the air.

"... Yuno, look."

The two Black Bulls see the children leaving their homes, all of them having vacant expressions on their faces, like in a sort of a trance-like state.

"... Wait a minute, weren't there kids inside the eatery we were in?"

"Wait, where are my younger siblings!?" The woman cried out.

"Ah! They're sneaking out back alley!" Dagda stated as he broke to a sprint and grabbed the entranced children. "Here you go lady."

"I have a name, you know." The red-haired woman stated as she held onto the hypnotized kids. "It's Rebecca."

"Well, Miss Rebecca, I suggest you keep a tight grip around those kids." Jericho stated. "I don't think they're going to wake up anytime soon, at least until the snow stops falling."

"Then let's go and where the snow's coming from!" Yuno stated as he tried to stumble on the snow, only for the reduced friction to make him slip and fall onto his face.

"... Laddie, I'm no one to judge or anything, but I think you should stay with the lady." Dagda pointed out bluntly.

"No!" Yuno protested. "I can still fight-"

Yuno slips on the snow, falling face-flat once more.

"You can't even walk on the bloody snow, ya daft punk." Dagda pointed out. "At least keep the lady company in case some arsehole breaks into her shop and takes the kids by force."

Yuno begrudgingly steps down, extremely reluctantly.

"Don't beat yourself up, Yuno." Jericho reassured. "Just keep her and the kids safe, and if we don't come back in about an hour, call for backup."

Jericho tosses Yuno the [Magical Communication Device] to his hands, right before he and Dagda followed where the kids were heading.

"EVERYONE! KEEP THE KIDS INDOORS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!" Jericho cried out as he ran through the streets. "THE SNOW IS TAKING THE KIDS AWAY VIA BRAINWASHING! LOCK ALL OF YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!"

The adults then slowly wake up from their slumber, slowly spreading the word of the abnormal snow, and taking action to prevent their kids from being abducted.

"Dammit, some slipped through." Jericho cursed. "Regardless, better than nothing-"

"MARIE!"

Jericho then finds Gauche frantically running about, calling out for his sister in increasing desperation, with each successive cry being more distressed as the last.

"MR. ADLAI!" Jericho cried out towards Gauche. "I THINK I KNOW WHERE YOUR SISTER IS!"

"WHERE!?" Gauche roared out in unrestrained hostility. "WHERE IS MY MARIE!? I SWEAR TO GOD, IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO HER, I'LL-"

"That's enough!"

Behind the two, an elderly nun approaches them.

"Theresa, you old bag..." Gauche growled out. "JUST WHAT DO YOU WANT!?"

"In case if you haven't noticed, the orphans have gone missing." Theresa stated in the gravest of seriousness. "At least the young man next to you knows what he's doing."

All Gauche could to was growl at the nun like a wild animal.

"Mr. Adlai, please calm down." Jericho stated. "Now tell me, what happened before your sister was spirited away?"

"I dunno..." Gauche spoke out in a panicked tone. "I was taking her back to the church after our date together, but suddenly, it started snowing, so I offered my sister my robe for warmth, but as I turned around, I... OH GOD, PLEASE DON'T TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME! SHE'S JUST A KID, DAMMIT!"

"Um, guys?" Dagda's voice called out. "Call me crazy, but I think I just saw a little lass ride on top of a wolf, leading the other kids outside."

Gauche then rushes towards Dagda.

"Was that little lass Marie, the girl that looks like this?" Gauche pressed Dagda while presenting the picture of Marie to him.

"... Yep, it either her, or I'm somehow getting drunk on _water_." Dagda confirmed.

"MARIE!"

Gauche then summons his broom and flies towards the outskirts of the town for his sister.

"That idiot..." Theresa sighed out in exasperation. "I swear, whenever little Marie is involved in any fashion, all of his rationale gets thrown right out of the window like a dumpster fire."

"Well, no time for that." Jericho stated as he whistled for his broom. "Ma'am, you know what's outside of this town?"

"Other than the brushes of trees surrounding us, there's an old cave system nearby." Theresa stated.

"That'll do, thanks." Jericho stated as he got on his broom.

"Wait, I'm coming with you." Theresa stated. "I may be old, but I'm a former Magic Knight. Not only that, but in good conscience I cannot leave the perpetrators unpunished."

"... If the lady says, then I shall abide." Jericho reluctantly replied. "Don't die before you come back home, understood, madam?"

"Hm, aren't you quite a gentleman." Theresa pointed out.

"I'm many things, Sister Theresa." Jericho stated. "A gentleman, scholar, aspiring diplomat, and Magic Knight. Now hang onto something! The snowfall is slowly turning into a _blizzard_!"

Jericho than flies off to the outskirts, leaving Dagda behind.

"... Friggin' dick." Dagda spat out. "Eh, not my first time running in the snow."

The half-Demon then sprints towards the town's outskirts, leaving behind a massive trail of kicked-up sleet in his wake.

* * *

 **Cave System Outside of Nean, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom, Night**

* * *

"Oh?" A motherly voice called out. "A human kicked you aside out of spite?"

A black and white pup whines in response.

"... How dare that human." The motherly voice growled out. "Come here, my treasure. I'll lick your wounds."

The pup then transforms into a little girl with black hair, wearing a wolf's hide over her head with a single white stripe running down at the wolf head's center, before cuddling up to the owner of the motherly voice.

"*Slurp* Good girl. You've done well to make it this far." The motherly voice soothingly reassured. "Now what did that human look like?"

The little girl with the pelt whispers something into the voice's ear.

"Oh really now?" The motherly voice spoke out. "... Kingu?"

A massive humanoid wolf monster with a white spade running down its head appears out of the darkness.

"It seems that there are... Magic Knights coming for us." The voice stated.

The little girl then whispers something else into the voice's ear.

"... And the damned Inquisition too?" The voice gasped out. "Surely, this cannot stand!"

The wolf monster snarls in agreement.

"It seems that we've reached an impasse, dear Kingu." The voice stated in a chilling tone. "Kingu dear..."

The wolf's snarls become more vocal and feral.

"Tell our _benefactors_..."

The wolf growls menacingly, licking its lips for its next meal.

"... That if they fuck up their end of _our_ bargain?" The voice spoke out, slowly revealing herself out of the darkness, revealing a busty-looking female with a pair of black eyes ashen-gray hair that flowed down to her thighs like a messy waterfall, with a pair of vulpine ears jutting behind her battered golden crown, and a single bushy tail with a gray tip, twisting and unfurling behind her dress made of miscellaneous animal pelts stitched together with mishmashes of royal regalia, with a single sheathed dagger tied around her upper right thigh.

She then draws her dagger, and licks the blade.

 **"... Then tell them _Tiamat's_ children will _feed_."**

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Time to fuck up the canon once more!

I'm looking forward to this arc, since not only it'll be the biggest Cerberus Syndrome (look it up) for this fic ever yet, but also, after this little arc, nothing will ever be the same ever again.

Also, who's watched the Radiant anime? If so, then the Inquisition should look familiar (even if they're swearing in Polish).

Possible Voice-Overs (For Funsies):

 **Dragunov: Koji Yusa (JPN), Ivan Jasso (ENG)**

 **Kalashnikov: Ayane Sakura (JPN), Amber Lee Connors (ENG)**

 **Tiamat: Saori Hayami (JPN), Corrine Sudberg/Megami33 (ENG)**

So what do you all think of this Saga?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my readers think of this fic!


	34. Saga 34: Hellhound on my Trail Part 2

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 34: Hellhound on my Trail Part 2**

* * *

 **Nean,** **Common Realm,** **Clover Kingdom, Night**

* * *

"So, Mr. Magic Knight?"

Yuno turned his head towards Rebecca, who is currently fixing the broken-down door to block out the snow.

"Yeah? What is it?" Yuno grumbled out, disappointed that he's stuck on guard duty due to his injuries.

"Just why did you become a Magic Knight?" Rebecca asked. "I mean, nowadays, everyone around my younger siblings's age wants to be a Magic Knight, but the mere thought of losing them in that kind of line of duty... well, I almost lost them tonight, so forgive me if I sound a little biased."

"No, you're kinda right." Yuno stated. "It's a dangerous line of work, where death is a factor, and only the brave or the foolhardy would only dream of."

"So why then?" Rebecca asked as she sat across Yuno. "Why do such a thing in the first place?"

"... Did you know that I came from the Forbidden Realm?" Yuno pointed out. "I was one of the orphans at Hage Village's chapel, and life there, while peaceful, wasn't exactly bright in terms of future prospects."

"Hm, that sort of makes sense." Rebecca replied. "Although I still wonder why not just move up and work like people in my generation."

Yuno's knuckles whitened.

"... Rebecca, do you believe in Demons?" Yuno asked.

"Not really." Rebecca pointed out. "I mean, when you're taking care of four other kids after your parents die from sickness, you really don't have lots of time to expand your horizons."

Yuno lets out a small, bitter sigh.

"... I lost my foster brother." Yuno stated. "Asta was killed by a rouge mage after defending me, and I killed the mage after he bled out."

Rebecca lets out a gasp coupled with a sightly horrified expression.

"Can you believe it?" Yuno asked. "My very first kill, was right after I got my Four-Leaf."

He then tosses his grimoire onto the table.

"Every time I hear people praising me for the sole virtue of being a Four-Leaf." Yuno bitterly stated. "People no longer see me as a Magic Knight or even a person. No. They just see my grimoire, not me..."

Yuno's eyes begin to tear up and begins sobbing.

"... If I can trade in anything for my brother's life, I'd trade in my Four-Leaf Grimoire in a heartbeat." Yuno spoke out. "But when I couldn't even bury Asta, the next I saw of him, a fucking Demon was using his corpse like some sort of meat puppet! I feel like the whole world is mocking me. To the majority of the people in this Kingdom, I'm simply a Four-Leaf. To those Demons, I'm just a joke to them..."

Yuno then pulls up his shirt, revealing a massive incision running across his stomach to his chest, just below the massive claw-mark running across his upper torso.

"This one up on my chest?" Yuno spoke out. "I got that from a Demon, got raked across my chest when I tried to get my brother back. And the one below it? I got it from my second mission, where my team and three other Golden Dawn Magic Knights got ambushed inside a Dungeon by the same Demon wearing my brother's body and his worshippers. I lost one of my legs and a fellow Knight to a cheap shot, and the Golden Dawn? Only one of them survived, and she lost an arm in return."

Rebecca was at a loss for words upon hearing Yuno's story.

"... All of that, and at around my age." She stated in shock. "... I'm so sorry."

"No, the fault is mine." Yuno apologized. "... No one deserves to hear what kind of hell I've gone through. Hell, when I hear myself speak like that, it almost sounds too vile to be real, almost like the ravings of a madman."

"Believe me, I'm sort of with you on that." Rebecca stated. "... And Yuno?"

"What is it?" He asked.

"... Why did you join the Magic Knights?" Rebecca asked. "I mean, surely, it's not just to avenge your brother, right?"

"... I want to become the next Wizard King." Yuno answered. "But it's not just for my sake, or my brother's, or for the people I love and hold dear."

"Then what for?" Rebecca asked.

Yuno faces Rebecca, his once-teary eyes now replaced with ones of stalwart resolve.

"... Just so that no one has to go through what I went through." Yuno answered firmly. "No one deserves to have their loved ones torn away from them. Especially like me."

Behind one of the covers, [Sylph] watches in horror on her master's recounts before their fated meeting.

 _"... Am I strong enough to help Yuno?"_

* * *

 **Nean Outskirts, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom, Night**

* * *

For the past couple of minutes, Jericho and Theresa find the trail of children leading up towards a cave entrance.

"Anything in that cave?" Theresa asked.

"A really potent magic signal." Jericho answered. "Although for how large-scale the operation is, the way it's handled... it's almost amateur."

"How so?" The nun asked.

"Well for one, there's no sign of outside watch." Jericho pointed out. "I mean, even if they cloaked themselves with some sort of method that hides their magical signatures, they would've easily jumped on us, or at least, warn us of our presence."

"So we miraculously have the element of surprise then." Theresa stated. "If that's the case, then we should take the initiative while we still have the chance-"

"MARIEEEEEE!"

Below then, the two spot Gauche speeding into the cave's entrance without a second thought.

"... Of all the things, he's the one who goes makes our job harder." Theresa sighed out. "Sephira bless his heart, at least he's determined."

"No, I think this might work to our advantage." Jericho stated. "We'll simply hide out in the chaos as our cover, and take them by surprise. Sister Theresa, are you prepared for the fight of your and those children's lives?"

Theresa simply grins.

"Heh, I'm an ex-Magic Knight, sonny." Theresa assured. "Death and I have been dancing for decades, and I sure as hell won't back down when proposed."

Jericho grins in admiration for this twilit nun's resolve.

"... All the more reason to come out alive and well." Jericho stated. "We come back alive with those kids taken back home, even it kills us."

"That's more like it."

Jericho then speeds into the cave, following the children in.

* * *

 **Elsewhere around the same location...**

* * *

"Niko, watch your six!"

Kalashnikov spins around, raking her twin swords through more of the Hellhounds surrounding them.

"Nice work!" Dragunov praised as he fired his arrow, skewering through two more Hellhounds with a single arrow.

"OLD MAN, WATCH IT!"

Kalashnikov throws one of her blades across Dragunov, nailing square into the Hellhound's head.

"Thanks." Dragunov stated. "Oi Magic Knights! How you're holding up!?"

Masquerade, now in her [Strange Object] form, barrels through the pack of Hellhounds like a rampaging beast, Papillon was slashing through the horde with her rapier, Bastet was riding on top her [Ursa Major] while brandishing her whip, Morrigan was bombarding the horde with her [Dark Creation Magic: Thousand Knives] and [Dark Magic: Dark Burning], and Aion was engaging in her usual hit-and-run tactics with her broken sword.

 **"They go down easily enough, BUT THERE'S NO END TO THEM!"** Masquerade shouted out as she squashed one of the mongrels underfoot. **"HOW MANY OF THEM ARE THERE!?"**

"Usually, a lot." Dragunov bluntly stated as he shot his arrow. "There's usually no indications on how many of them are there specifically, but usually confirmed that whenever there's one, there's usually more."

"So even you don't know?" Papillon pointed out. " _Non non non_ , that won't do for self-proclaimed Demon Slayers."

"We would've pinned them down long ago if we could in the first place, you dumb _suka_!" Kalashnikov barked out. "Also, to your right!"

Both Papillon and Kalashnikov slash their blades across the wolf's maw, killing it dead.

"... Okay, fair point." Papillon stated as she flicked the blood off of her rapier. "Also, what magic do you use?"

"Does it really matter?" Kalashnikov bluntly replied as she kicked a charging Hellhound aside before throwing her shortsword at its chest. "Just kill these mutts and don't die. That's all there is to Demon Slaying."

"Less talking, more killing!" Dragunov roared out as he swatted another Hellhound away with his bow before firing an arrow at it.

Deeper into the woods, something big approaches the Magic Knights and the Inquisition at breakneck speed.

Breaking through the trees and scattering them like flies, a massive bipedal lupine creature appears, letting out an ear-piercing howl towards the moon to acknowledge it's own might presence.

"... Uh, _kapitan_?" Kalashnikov stated in a concerned tone as the other Hellhounds regrouped towards their alpha. "That spade on its head..."

"NIKO, IT'S COMING!" Dragunov roared out as he fired an arrow into a magic portal, which then summoned a hail of arrows above the monster's head. "IT'S KINGU!"

Even as the arrows broke through the beast's skin, Kingu remained undeterred.

"This presence..." Aion commented. "... There's no mana, but at the same time, there're no signs of life either."

 **"It's like staring into a walking pitch-black void..."** Masquerade pointed out. **"So that's an actual Demon?"**

"Well if it bleeds, then it can be killed!" Papillon remarked as she charged towards the arrow-ridden beast. " _En garde_ , wretched beast!"

"WAIT, DON'T!" Dragunov cried out in ignored desperation.

"[Silver Creation Magic: _Jardin de Epee_ -"

 **"Lat avalk avoo much, shara."**

Kingu's arm pierces through Papillon's chest, in its clawed hands, her still-beating heart, burst out from her back.

"... Papillon." Bastet gawked out in horror as one of their Divas's bodies hung from the Demon's arm like a fresh cut of meat.

Kingu stares at them before tossing Papillon's heart and body to its pack, the Hellhounds devouring it with extreme gusto.

 **"Guav avhem gith."** Kingu ordered the Hellhounds in his _abyssal_ and booming voice. **" _Leave none alive_."**

The Hellhounds resume their offensive, now with even more reckless zeal and savagery, all of them snarling and foaming at their gaping fanged maws as they charged forth towards the remaining Magic Knights and two Inquisitors.

"HERE THEY COME!" Dragunov roared out as he fired his arrow.

* * *

 _ **Back around near the Cave...**_

* * *

"You sure that they're here?" Cole asked.

"Aren't the trail of kids obvious enough?" Sol pointed out. "Or are you just that dumb?"

"No, what I'm implying is that if we know that this is their base of operations, why aren't we rescuing the kids?" Cole pointed out. "I mean, that's what Magic Knight do, right?"

"But our objective is to capture the guys behind this whole mess." Sol replied. "The kids aren't on the top of our priority right now."

"Are you implying that we let those kids potentially die?" Cole retorted.

"Regrettable, but that's what Magic Knights do." Sol sighed out. "We can't save everyone. Only follow our orders to the letter."

"Only that's because your 'Big Sis Char' ordered, huh?" Cole pointed out.

"Don't you dare say her name out of your filthy mouth-"

"Would you two please, shut the fuck up?" Juniper hissed out. "You're gonna get us caught!"

Inside the cave, a detachment of Blue Rose Knights were sneaking into the trafficking ring's base, following the trail of kids walking in.

"Whatever the case, the sooner we catch whoever's behind this mess, the better." Noire pointed out. "C'mon, Lyra and Cygnus are scouting ahead. Time we actually covered more ground."

The four Magic Knights meet up with the other two ahead.

"Anything?" Noire asked.

"I heard two ahead." Lyra stated. "Both male, with one being younger than the other, with the younger one being the cause behind the abnormal snow."

"I've confirmed that it's [Snow Magic]." Cygnus stated. "Neige is behind this. And Baro's not too far off."

"Anything out of the ordinary?" Noire asked. "What about the client?"

"Hidden." Lyra asked. "The leader might be deeper in, so first, we're going to have to catch both the brothers and the leader in one, clean, motion-"

"MARIEEEEEEE!"

A screaming voice speeds above their heads, echoing down deeper into where the kids were.

"... Son of a bitch, he blew our cover." Juniper cursed.

"Time's of the essence." Noire pointed out. "Let's move!"

Noire opens her grimoire, using her [Spatial Magic] to cover more distance by warping their steps through spatial distortion.

"... By the way, who was that guy?" Cole asked.

"No idea, but I think I sort of recall from my friend's letter that there's a siscon mage in the Black Bulls." Juniper pointed out. "If that's really him, then god forbid if we get in his way."

"Why's that?" Noire asked. "Ain't he just some Black Bull?"

"He's no Black Bull, but out of all of them, he's the one causes the most collateral damage." Juniper replied. "And the fact that his sister might've been one of those kids that got abducted..."

"Oh shit." Cole remarked. "Forget the mission. If the whole cave comes down on our heads, then!"

"Less talking, more moving!"

The six reach a clearing, where the Black Bull was facing the [Snow Magic] user with several mirrors firing rays of light at the other mage in reckless abandon.

"... I think he got him." Juniper pointed out. "Leader, want me to bag the fatso?"

"Knock yourself out." Noire stated. "I'll cover you."

Before the fat mage can pull a fast one on the [Mirror Magic] user, Juniper dashes out of her cover, jumps up into the air, before delivering a dropkick to the mage, grinding both of her heels into his face, with Juniper springing off of his face before landing on her feet like a cat.

"This is the Blue Rose Knights!" Juniper shouted out. "Under the charges of mass kidnapping and human trafficking, Baro and Neige Sluice, you two are hereby under arrest!"

The other Magic Knights come out of the cover, cornering the two brothers.

"Big bro-"

"EYES ON ME, SISTER-STEALER!"

The [Snow Magic] user was fried alive by Gauche's [Mirror Magic: Reflect Ray].

"Nice work Black Bull." Noire stated. "We'll take it from here-"

"I'm not done with this little shit yet."

The enraged Magic Knight grabs Neige by the collar before picking him up.

 **"Where. Is. Marie?"** Gauche snarled out as he showed the terrified mage a photo of a little girl. **"If you don't give me a straight answer, then I'll personally escort your scrawny ass straight to Hell."**

"I-I-I DON'T KNOW!" Neige blubbered out. "SHE'S NOT HERE! SHE WASN'T PART OF THE GROUP THAT WE WERE ORDERED TO ABDUCT!"

 **"BULLSHIT!"** Gauche roared out as he drove his fist into his face. **"I SAID WHERE IS SHE!?"**

"OI, BLACK BULL!"

Gauche turned his head towards the Blue Rose Knights.

 **"... What?"** Gauche asked.

"We'll take it from here." Noire stated. "Go find your sister if she's that important to you."

With a growl, he picks up his broom and flies deeper into the cave.

"Alright, shit for brains." Noire spoke to Baro as she stomped down onto his fat belly. "Who's behind this little stunt?"

"Tch, why should I tell you bitches anything-"

He felt the cold edge of a blade made of ice stroking against his neck.

"We have ways of making you talk." Noire pointed out. "I happen to know your kind of scum, and I know that you won't take death as an option, even if it means unable to take your secrets to the grave. So please tell us, _who, is, behind, this_?"

Baro looked towards Neige, only to see him constricted by strings of ivy.

"... Tch, alright, I'll talk." Baro spat out. "About our current boss? She killed the one originally behind this little outfit, and assumed control over all of the routes to herself. She's shit at running this outfit, hell, she's putting scumbags like me under the cart, until she approached me and my bro for one last job before we get to leave."

"Juniper, take over." Noire pointed out. "I need to get these kids out. Sol, Cole, lend me a hand."

The three then begin evacuating the kids out of the cave, with the three running into Jericho and Theresa.

"Another Black Bull?" Sol groaned out.

"We're looking for Gauche." Jericho asked. "You know where he is?"

"Further in." Cole pointed out.

"So Marie isn't here then..." Theresa remarked. "Damn, they're making this hard for all of us."

"What do mean?" Noire asked as she opened a portal leading out of the cave.

"... Call it a hunch, but I don't think this cluster is the only one." Jericho pointed out. "There might be others separate from this area."

"You don't mean!?"

"Sister, we need to move." Jericho stated as his broom flew upwards. "HANG ONTO SOMETHING!"

The broom speeds off into the same entrance where Gauche went in.

"... So what you're saying is, that there are others?" Sol pointed out.

"Now that think about it..." Cole looked at the evacuated kids. "... Isn't this group a little too small for a population of a town?"

"So the mission isn't over yet..." Noire stated as she took the last kid into the portal. "Sol, Cole, watch the kids."

"Yes ma'am!" Both saluted at once, much to their shared surprised.

"Heh, guess I underestimated you." Sol pointed out as she went into the portal.

"Likewise." Cole replied.

The two then end up outside with the kids, the snow starting to slowly dissipate, but the low temperature still being present.

"I'll contact Headquarters." Cole stated. "Sol, you know how to keep them warm?"

"Worth a shot." Sol stated as she opened her grimoire. "[Earth Recovery Magic: Mother Nature's Warm Embrace]."

A golem made from earth appears out of the ground, before curling itself around the kids with its warm earth.

"That'll do." Cole remarked as he took out his standard-issue [Magical Communication Device]. "HQ, this is Cole Evens of the Blue Rose Knights. Do read me, over?"

The device then goes into static before a coherent voice was heard...

... Albeit not the one that would be expected of a Magic Knight, nor did it inspire any confidence or reassurance.

 _"Yawn... This is Sekke from the Green Mantis (What am I even doing here...), what's with this call? You know what time it is-"_

"Cut the crap, you idiot." Cole bit out. "We're in amidst evac of the kidnapped children from Nean. We require additional assistance to aid us of our extraction. Send any [Spatial Magic] or any [Recovery Magic] user available!"

 _"Wha-WHAT!? SOM-SOMEONE CONTACT THE MAGIC KNIGHTS-"_

"YOU DULLARD! YOU'RE A MAGIC KNIGHT!" Cole barked out at the communicator. "NOW DO YOUR DAMN JOB, OR I'LL DRAG YOUR ASS THROUGH THE PROJECTION AND MAKE YOU DO IT MYSELF!"

 _"AGH! ON IT!"_

The communicator shuts off, leaving the two Blue Rose Knights with a slight feeling of dread.

"... We're boned." Cole stated. "We are fucking boned with that idiot at the helm."

"For once, we agree." Sol groaned out. "... I'll set up a few walls around the kids before we can gather some kindle."

"OI!"

From a distance, the two spot a short blond male running towards them.

"Um excuse me!?" Cole shouted out. "This area is off-limits for civilians."

"Peh, I could hold me bloody own." The short blond male stated in a gruff tone disproportionate to his stature. "Got me sword here, and I know how to throw a punch."

"... If you insist." Cole stated. "Can you go get us some firewood? At this rate, the kids are gonna freeze to death."

"Got it." The short male then runs into the woods at blinding speeds.

"... Son of bitch, I forgot to ask for his name." Cole clicked his tongue.

* * *

 _ **Back at the woods...**_

* * *

"ARGH!"

Dragunov's whole body smashes through a tree upon being tossed aside by Kingu.

"Son of a whore, you haven't gotten sloppy at all..." Dragunov grunted out before he backhanded at a charging Hellhound. "But then again, I'm practically praying for a miracle."

"HEY OLD MAN!" Kalashnikov roared out as she slashed through the horde. "WATCH YOUR ASS!"

"Got it, Niko!" Dragunov replied as he drew his bow towards Kingu. "Not my first brawl with a Demon!"

The arrow fires towards the alpha, but before Kingu can parry the arrow, a portal opens right in front of the arrow's trajectory, before another portal opens behind Kingu, staking the arrow into its back.

The wolf-man grabs the arrow staked into it, only for said arrow's shaft to begin glowing in an emblem-like pattern.

"EAT [COMBUSTION RUNE], _SUKA_!"

The arrow explodes into a bright conflagration of flames, knocking Kingu off of its feet, as Dragunov draws another arrow towards the wolf-man in the air.

"What the hell was that?" Bastet asked as she kicked aside a Hellhound.

"[Rune Magic], lady!" Dragunov shouted out. "NIKO! NO NEED TO HOLD BACK NOW! UNLEASH HELL!"

Kalashnikov's blades begins to glow in a similar pattern as her swings begin to become more and more akin to a dance.

"Oh miraculous Patrem Inquisitor, grant me thy strength to exorcise the foul Demons back to the pit where they've spawned from!" Kalashnikov chanted as her blades's glow became brighter and hotter with the arcs of blue flames emitting from her swings. "[Flight & Fire Rune Compound Magic: Phoenix Arc-Free Flyer]!"

Both of her blades's runes emits flames that transform into a blue phoenix, slashing through numerous Hellhounds like hot knife through a block of butter.

"Well, my turn then." Dragunov stated as he saw Kingu get back up on its feet as he drew his bow. "[Spatial & Light Rune Compound Magic: _Sagitta Luminus-Stella_ ]!"

The arrow flies towards Kingu, transforming it into a shooting star that sped towards Kingu.

The wolf-man tries to parry the arrow of light, only for it to disappear, before the arrow reappeared right above Kingu's head.

The arrow explodes upon contact, with Dragunov rolling away from the blast.

"We have an opening." Dragunov stated. "Everyone, kill that that damned thing!"

All of the mages present open fire at the alpha.

 **"[Mask Magic: Burning Man]!"** Masquerade's mask replaces itself into that of one resembling a man on fire, right before shooting out massive jets of fire towards Kingu.

"[Dark Magic: Dark Burning Attack]!" Morrigan sends blasts of pitch-black flames toward the alpha.

"[Beast Magic: Leo]!" Bastet projects a massive lion to attack Kingu.

"[Severing Magic: _Shinken_ ]!" With her broken sword, Aion sends out a slash towards the Hellhound.

"[Flight & Fire Rune Compound Magic: Phoenix Flight-Heavensend]!" Kalashnikov throws both of her swords towards the Demon, the twin blades transforming into firebirds flying towards Kingu.

"[Spatial & Stone Rune Compound Magic: _Sagitta Meteorum-Etiam_ ]!" Dragunov fires his arrow up into the air, passing through several portals in its trajectory, slowly transforming into a massive stone arrow that crashed on top of Kingu's head.

The collective magic attacks bombard at the alpha, engulfing it into a massive explosion, taking the rest of the Hellhounds out with it.

"... Did we kill it?" Bastet asked.

"Niko, go check to find the body." Dragunov ordered.

"Got it." Kalashnikov then tossed her swords forward, both of them floating around like a pair of divining rods, poking around the snow to find Kingu's body.

Meanwhile, the rest of Blue Rose Knights try to find Papillon's body.

The only things left of her were a single scrap of her Magic Knight robe and her rapier's handle, now all chewed up like a well-used dog toy, both of which lying on top of a pool of blood where she once lay.

"... They ate her down to the last bone." Bastet gasped in horror. "There's not enough of her left to even bury..."

Morrigan throws up behind one of the trees.

"They really are Demons..." Aion remarked in horror. "... It's as if her soul devoured into the void."

 **"DAMMIT ALL!"**

Masquerade rips off her [Burning Man] along with her opera mask before throwing both onto the snowy ground, revealing a perfectly-normal looking face beneath it.

"We couldn't save her..." Masquerade lamented as she fell to her knees in tears. "... Papillon, I pray that you're at a better place."

Dragunov kneels down before offering a small prayer in foreign tongue.

"... So this is what you two hunt every day?" Masquerade asked Dragunov.

"All the more reason why all of the Demons residing in our world must be expelled." Dragunov replied in a serious tone. "They good for nothing aside from causing tragedies like this."

"Oi!"

From a distance, a short blond male was spotted, carrying wood under his arms.

"Anyone know where good tinder is?" The male shouted out. "It's fucking cold as balls here-"

"DAGDA!" Dragunov roared out in rage as he fired his arrow towards the short male.

At the same time, Kalashnikov was flying away from a heavily-wounded Kingu, trying to swipe her down with its sole remaining arm.

The arrow flies towards Dagda, but the short blond draws his short sword and parries the arrow back towards Dragunov...

... Only for said arrow to graze his cheek, pass next to the fleeing Kalashnikov, and the arrow stakes itself into Kingu's head, before the arrow glows yellow and electrocutes the Hellhound, knocking out cold.

"Aw dammit, you fucking lot!?" Dagda cried out. "What the bloody 'ell are you twats doin' here of all places!?"

"Same reason as always, the extermination of every Demon crawling in this world, INCLUDING _YOU_ , DADGA!" Dragunov roared back in _unhinged fury_.

"Well, fuck your mother's arse!" Dagda shouted back as he waved his sword around. "I ain't got time for ya schmucks!"

Dagda then kicks up a massive dirt cloud before fleeing out of their sight.

"Dammit all." Dragunov swore. "Damn Ulster bastards, letting that filthy halfling live to begin with..."

"Old man!" Kalashnikov called out as she landed next to Dragunov. "Sorry about that. The bastard was playing dead before I can cut its head off."

"Well what are you waiting for?" Dragunov stated. "Get to it!"

Kalashnikov then throws one of her swords into the air, right before the sword slashes through the beast's neck, severing the head off of its neck.

Dragunov then approaches the severed head, takes it, and hangs the head around his belt underneath his cloak.

"... By the way." Dragunov stated. "I forgot to mention, the Hellhounds and this little fucker? They aren't actual Demons. Just offshoots of the damn Demon's power."

The four remaining Divas all adopt an expression of shock and horror.

"... You mean Papillon died from a Demon's power!?" Masquerade barked out in disbelief. "THEN WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HER DEATH!?"

Both Inquisitors sigh out as Dragunov breaks the awful truth.

"... Tiamat."

* * *

 ** _Meanwhile, inside the cave..._**

* * *

"MARIE!" Gauche cried out. "MARIE! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

For two hours, Gauche has been flying around the twisting caves in his desperate search for his beloved sister.

"Where is she?" Gauche thought out loud. "I swore that mirror that I gave her would lead me to her location... So why are there... multiple signals of her!?"

He then spots something glimmering in the dark.

He sets down and finds a shattered mirror, the mirror itself no longer there, sans for the single fragment let on the frame.

Gauche then immediately goes into a panic attack upon finding out that whoever kidnapped Marie figured out the mirror's gimmick, and took the mirror and smashed it, shattering its numerous pieces all over the damned cave system.

It at least explains why his [Magical Eye: Reflector] is picking up a total of _37 signals_ of Marie.

"Dammit all..." Gauche gritted out. "If I find whoever did this, I swear to God, they'll wish that weren't even born to face me..."

"Mr. Adlai!"

Behind him, Jericho and Theresa land their broom.

"What are you two doing here!?" Gauche barked out.

"Making sure that you don't get yourself killed while off-duty." Jericho replied. "If Captain Yami hears of that, Yuno and I will wind up sharing _your_ grave."

"That, and making sure you and Marie are actually alive." Theresa spoke out. "You're not the only one's who's worried sick for her, you know."

"No one asked, you old hag-"

Jericho then cuts him off with a slap to Gauche's face, which knocks out a few of his teeth and sends him flying off of his feet.

"Oww... WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?" Gauche cried out. "YOU WANNA DIE-"

 **"Would you like me to smack you again?"** Jericho menacingly spoke out as he cracked his knuckles. **"If so, then I guess I'll send my condolences to your sister."**

Gauche reluctantly steps down.

"... Fine. But only for Marie's sake." He begrudgingly remarked.

"Hm, never thought that someone can calm him, of all people." Theresa remarked to Jericho.

"He's odd case, even for among the former Nobility I've accustomed to familiarize." Jericho stated. "He's just as cold-blooded, but it's clear that Marie is the only thing left that means to him."

"For once, I agree." Gauche remarked as he got back up to his feet.

"So, what's with the mirror?" Jericho asked as he pointed at the shattered mirror in Gauche's hands. "That's not yours, correct?"

"It's Marie's. Gauche gave it to her to keep track of her location in case if they get separated." Theresa explained. "And I'm assuming that he's lost her signal?"

"The opposite." Gauche pointed out. "Those bastards shattered the mirror itself and spread out the pieces in random directions."

"Smart move. That means that they're more likely to lead us into a wild goose chase." Jericho pointed out. "Which only leaves us with two options."

"Either we fly around blind, or fall for a potential deathtrap." Theresa pointed out. "Either way, we're going to waste time."

"No, there's a third option."

Gauche then raises the mirror's wooden frame over his head, right before snapping it into two against his raised knee.

"... With the mirror now completely destroyed, the shards won't emit any dummy signals." Gauche reassured. "Now all I can do is let my love alone guide me to Marie."

Before Jericho can point out Gauche's faulty logic, Theresa shuts him up.

"... Ludicrous as it sounds, believe me when I say that his assumptions are true." Theresa stated. "The boy has a nose of bloodhound for little Marie, and oh Sephira, I said those exact words as a compliment."

"Remind me to tone down on my reminder for me to say that Mr. Adlai needing help." Jericho stated as he carried Theresa onto his back.

"You think I haven't tried?" Theresa remarked as she pointed to Gauche sniffing deeply into a bloodied band-aid.

"... I stand corrected."

Unbeknownst to the two Black Bulls and the elderly nun, a dog-eared youth pulling an arrow from his wood-crafted bow was spying on them, now his scouting turned into an _assassination_.

The itself arrow was dipped in buckets worth of hallucinogenic mixture of fungi, plants, and excrements of various Wilderbeasts from the Spade Kingdom, with so much as one scratch of his venomous arrow being enough to kill an adult Wyvern.

... Granted, his previous attempt of hunting one almost ended with him being set one fire, but hey, at least humans were easier pickings.

With the Hellhound's breathing slowly steading itself, he aims the point down to the purple-haired man's body, before letting it go.

... But just as he was about to let go, his mother's voice echoes in his head.

 ** _"No. Fall back."_**

 ** _"But mother! I have this! They're just three humans!"_**

 ** _"No, one is clearly too large to be a full-blooded human."_**

 ** _"Still, it's an opportunity. I can take em from here-"_**

 ** _"No. Fall back."_**

 ** _"... Yes mother."_**

 ** _"Good pup. Now hurry along, and let the boy pass."_**

His eyes were that of his mother's, as for his will being her's.

The same can be said for the rest of the Hellhounds. All were mere extensions of their matriarch's will.

The Hellhound did not question their mother, for it meant that she had her own plan for the human.

As long as there were dead humans, then that meant there are plenty more to eat later on.

* * *

 ** _Deeper inside..._**

* * *

 **"... So the boy came with his friends, then?"** Tiamat spoke in a bemused tone. **"No matter. Soon they become part of our carrion that my children will feast on by the next sunrise."**

She then walks down from her throne made of human bones, walking towards several children tied to wooden poles, all of them blindfolded and their mouths gagged.

They were all arranged in a circular pattern, with said circle being almost ritualistic, bearing drawings of runes around its edges, as the children struggled to break free, but to no avail.

 **"Now now, my sweets. No need to struggle."** Tiamat assured. **"Soon enough, you'll join my family."**

She then caresses one their napes with her dagger's edge.

 **"... After all, humans hold no love in their hearts."** Tiamat stated, dropping her faux-motherly tone. **"The Elves were too arrogant to acknowledge anything of love, the Dwarves and Jotuns are too stupid to know what love means, the Witches confuse love for subservience, to their so-called queen, and the Angels only pay shallow lip** **service to the word 'love'. At least the Demons are honest on their regard with them holding no love in their pitch-black hearts, but I, am different. From the depths of lovelessness, I've learned what love means!"**

Tiamat then descends into an unhinged rant towards the bound children.

 **"TO LOVE MEANS TO PROVIDE TO YOUR KIN! TO LOVE MEANS TO SHELTER AND COMFORT THEM IN THIS COLD AND BLEAK WORLD, A COMPLETE FARCE OF A CREATION! TO LOVE MEANS TO KILL THOSE WHO HURT YOUR FOLD, STRIKING THEM DOWN WITH THE UTMOST OF PREJUDICE! TO LOVE MEANS TO HATE THOSE WHO DON'T RETURN YOUR LOVE! TO LOVE MEANS TO TAKE OVER THIS JOKE OF A WORLD AND RESHAPE IT TO YOUR IMAGE! TO LOVE MEANS TO SHARE YOUR DREAM WITH YOUR BELOVED, AND LET YOUR LOVED ONES RUN FREE AND LET THEM SHAPE THE WORLD TO THIER LIKING! SUCH LOFTY DREAMS AND AMBITIONS MAY AND ARE IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU FILITH, BUT NOT I! I, TIAMAT, QUEEN OF THE HELLHOUNDS, SHALL TAKE THIS WHOLE WORLD BY STORM, AND SHAPE IT TO MY IMAGE, A LAND FREE FROM HATE AND IRE, AND INTO A WORLD WHERE MY LOVE WILL REIGN SUPREME, SO THAT I MAY LEAD IT TO ITS LONG-AWAITED SALVATION!"  
**

A girl tied next to the boy that Tiamat was holding at knifepoint struggles to say something through her gag.

 **"Hm? What was that my child? I didn't hear you properly."**

She then unbinds Marie's gag.

"... You're wrong." The girl spoke out. "That's not love."

 **"Mother, let me put this maggot in her place-"**

 **"No."** Tiamat vetoed. **"Let her speak."**

Tiamat undoes her blindfold, revealing the girl's eyes to be defiant as the embers of a long-extinguished wildfire that refused to die.

"... The world is cruel, yeah, but that doesn't mean people can't love." The girl stated. "My brother and I lost everything, our home, our parents, our money, but we still had each other. I saw him go heaven and hell just so that we can live another day, and along the way, I got to learn that there are people who can love other people with all their heart. My brother may not know or even care, but it's thanks to him that I got to live long enough to know that there is love in people's hearts! People can learn to love, you just need to let them!"

Tiamat then kneels down to face her eye to eye.

 **"Then tell me."** Tiamat asked the little girl. **"If your brother is one of those people who can love, then why did he go and kick my daughter in her ribs?**

Tiamat then stakes her heel into the little girl's big toe, crushing into ground meat.

The girl lets out a scream of sheer, unrestrained agony.

"IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" The girl screeched out as she flailed like a fish on dry land.

Tiamat simply glares at the girl, the queen's eyes now being completely empty of empathy.

 **"Trust me, dearie. It's going to hurt more."** She stated dispassionately. **"Keep her eyes open."**

The girl's eyes are then forced open by one of the Hellhound children's digits prying the scared girl's eyes open.

"Wha-What are you doing?" The girl whimpered out as she saw Tiamat walk towards one of the children bound to the stakes.

 **"You said that people can learn to love if they live long enough?"** Tiamat remarked to the girl. **"Allow me to prove you otherwise, that my love is the only true love."**

Blood is then splatted into her eyes, unable to look away from one of her fellow orphans having their throats silt open, with his blood gushing out onto her face.

"... Please. Stop it." The girl whimpered out. "You... You killed him."

 **"And here's my two** **yuls: I don't care."**

Another, this time, a girl around her same age, the jagged silver blade running across her throat, splashing more blood onto her face.

Then another, a boy, the one younger than her, another splash of blood.

Then another.

And another.

And it kept going.

And going.

And going.

... Until she couldn't take it anymore, with the last dredges of her sanity escaping the poor girl's throat, with one, final, desperate cry.

"HELP ME! SAVE ME, GAUCHE!"

... But no one came.

And with that revelation, the girl abandoned all hope, as she watched the last of her friends and fellow children get slaughtered like cattle.

With her next in line-

"MARIEEEEEEE!"

Her cry was miraculously answered at the eleventh hour.

Because from the darkness, her brother, Sister Theresa, and that big man that she ran into in the streets came to save her.

"Big brother..."

Marie's consciousness fails her, blacking out with the last thing seeing being her saviors and the monster that killed her friends stare each other down.

All she could do now, was to pray to Sephira, that they succeed.

And for Gauche, he knew what had to be done.

The dead bodies of Marie's friends, their blood marring her pure visage against her will, and a missing toe.

Kill that whore who hurt Marie, with extreme prejudice.

"YOU BITCH!" Gauche roared out towards Tiamat. "I'LL COOK YOU ALIVE!"

Gauche opens his grimoire, surrounding Tiamat with an array of mirrors.

"[MIRROR MAGIC: REFLECT RAY-KALEIDOSCOPE]!"

All of the summoned mirrors surrounding Tiamat fire all at once, blinding her with an array of light beams.

"I'M NOT DONE YET!"

The [Reflect Ray-Kaleidoscope] keeps firing down at Tiamat, bombarding her with more beams of light.

"DIE! DIE! DIIIIIIEEEEEE!"

The beams of light eventually stop firing, with Gauche, now completely spent on his mana reserves, collapses onto the stone floor.

"Mr. Adlai!" Jericho cried out as he ran towards him and picks him back up. "Are you alright-"

"It's too soon to celebrate." Theresa pointed out. "Look."

From the smoke emerged a dome of canine-eared children, all of them forming a protective dome of bodies around Tiamat, before collapsing from the abuse that they've all received from Gauche's onslaught.

The queen looks at the Black Bull, her eyes now emitting a tranquil stillness of a calm sea, hiding a titanic beast of _pure rage_ within its depths.

 **"... You'll pay for that."**

She then takes out a patchwork-grimoire, bearing two Spades, one black, and the other white, imposed to each other on opposite ends, as if one was the other's shadow.

The Paradox Spade. The symbol of Conquest, and the pale white light that it emits from its haphazardly-assembled black, brown, and navy blue covers, as its pages fluttered, beckoning Hellhounds from the deepest of Hell.

 **"[Summon Magic: Bloodhound Horde-Zealot]."**

From the spilled blood of the collective children, a magic circle was formed, with a _massive_ clawed arm bursting out of it.

"This presence..." Theresa gawked out in horror. "JUST WHAT KIND OF AN ABOMINATION IS SHE BECKONING FORTH!?"

Tiamat then lets out an ear-piercing laughter as the foul beast emerges.

 **"... Oh Gilgamesh?"**

A massive humanoid wolf, with a black spade running down its forehead, adjacent to its pair of blood-red eyes _scorching_ with hate, licks its maw in hunger.

 **" _Dinnas iuk ukervun_."**

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Sorry if this took a while, but hey, COVID-19 is kinda fucking up with my daily college life, for better or for worse. At least I'm not infected.

So regarding on writing this chapter, holy shit, I kinda made it a bit dark, but if I'm going to introduce another Demonic Faction, might as well make Tiamat impressionable as possible.

That, and Yuno's Asta-shaped hole in his chest is growing bigger and bigger, with [Sylph] practically helpless to aid his pain. And Marie, but trust me.

It's gonna get worse for her.

Also, regarding [Summon Magic], self-explanatory. Just get a shitload of human sacrifices and hope for the best.

In a way, it's like every Gacha game, but the Saint Quartz here is literal blood. Richer the mana, the more likely Tiamat will summon an uber-powerful Hellhound variant.

The Hellhounds that ambushed the Five Divas and the Inquisition? Measly 1-Stars.

Kingu? 3-Star at best.

And Gilgamesh?

... Not telling.

Also, a massive (and long-overdue) Shout-Out to ShootingStaria for noticing my fic!

My fic shall be your muse! Feel free to draw as much fanart as you like! It's got lots of blood and gore to it, also tears.

So, what do you guys think of this Saga?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd love to know what my audience are thinking!


	35. Saga 35: Hellhound on my Trail Part 3

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 35: Hellhound on my Trail Part 3**

* * *

 **Nean Outskirts, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom, Night**

* * *

Standing before them was an imposing wolf-demon standing on two legs, it's night-black fur glimmering in the dimly-lit cavernous depths, it's blood-red eyes adjacent between the white spade pointing downwards glaring at the two as it approached the two mages, raking its sword-like claws against the stone floors, creating sparks against it.

"... Sister, get Gauche out of here." Jericho stated. "I'll hold it off."

"Are you insane!?" Theresa barked out. "There's no way you can't hold this thing off on your own!"

"You have children waiting for you back out there, right?" Jericho pointed out. "They need you, Sister. I'll get Marie out of here even if it kills me."

 **"Here's a better idea..."** Tiamat interjected. **"HOW ABOUT YOU BOTH DIE INSTEAD!?"**

With the snap of her fingers, Gilgamesh commences his attack towards the two.

Jericho intercepts the wolf-Demon's claws with his [Stardust Knuckles], only for him to be down to one knee upon his whole body absorbing the physical impact of the summoned Demon's blow.

 _"S-Shit!"_ Jericho internally panicked. _"The impact alone almost dislocated my shoulders!"_

Gilgamesh then began raining multiple blows upon his [Stardust Knuckles], each strike creating a sizable dent into the plating.

 **"He's breaking."** Tiamat pointed out. **"Crush him!"**

As ordered, the summoned Hellhound balls both of its hands together into a hammer fist, swung down towards Jericho's head.

Before the hammer fist lands on top of his constructed gauntlets, Jericho jumps away from the area of impact, right back to where he started.

 **"Hmm, smart move."** Tiamat dismissively remarked. **"... We've got a savvy one here, Gilgamesh."**

 **"Argreun."** Gilgamesh voiced out in words that sounded like a thunder's boom. **"Najor'll be raavhas annoyaumn avo deal wiavh."**

 _"... So the Demons have their own language too?"_ Jericho thought in disbelief. _"Just hearing it is making me sick..."_

The summoned Hellhound maintains its distance, all the while keeping its blood-red irises locked onto him.

The beast then goes into a stance similar to Jericho's, foremost arm guarding its lower midsection, and hind arm close to its cheek.

 _"... It's observing me."_ He thought. _"It's trying to learn how I fight."_

Jericho then switches own stance into raising both of his arms up towards his face into a boxing stance, springing his footing up and down to build up momentum.

 _"Can't afford to be careless..."_ Jericho told himself. _"If I slip up even once, then it's going to be like that Dungeon all over again!"_

As both Magic Knight and the Demon stared each other, Theresa began analyzing the whole battle at hand as she tried to sneak the injured and unconscious Gauche out of the caverns, the head Hellhound kept a hawk's eye on her, knife in hand, blade held against Marie's throat, keeping the poor soul hostage, preventing the nun from taking action unless she wants to lose another child.

So all Theresa can do is watch as the methodical combat slowly unfolds.

 _"From the stance alone, it's clear that the boy is extremely disciplined in the beats of non-magical combat, something only him and Meroleona have not only taken up on, but also mastered."_ Theresa thought. _"But the fundamental difference is that while Meroleona would've just charged in and begin mounting up the pressure against her foe, Jericho is planning to end this in one blow, calculating every possibility of success and failure. One is a relentless predator that won't stop pursuing its prey and is a master of mounting pressure upon her opponent, while Jericho is the_ _methodical predator, never risking to mere chance to let his prey slip by his fingertips."_

She then begins to observe the Demon with one of her eyes while keeping another locked at Tiamat.

 _"This summoned... thing, it's no wild beast that merely destroys everything in its wake."_ Theresa analyzed. _"The way it's reserving itself despite having enough brute strength to dampen through [Mana Skin], it's adapting to how it's foe fights, learning from every slight mistake that the boy makes, making it clear that it's opponent stays dead after the fact. It's acknowledging that Jericho's the bigger threat here, and Tiamat is making sure that none of us get away by keeping Marie hostage."_

Jericho and Gilgamesh lock their eyes upon each other, not a single moment of focus spared.

 _"Whoever makes the wrong move dies..."_

Jericho tightens his fist as his gaze towards the Demon imitating his previous stance steeled itself.

Both then spring off of the earth, and towards each other, fists wound back, gazes unbroken, and resolves steeled and tempered.

"BRING IT OOOOOONNNNN!"

 **"Vicavorausan or deaavh!"**

The wolf-Demon thrusts its fist first.

 _"Too slow!"_

Jericho weaves across the Demon's jab, while at the same time, concentrating all of his ki into a singularity of his left knuckle as he propelled forward.

The Hellhound takes notice of his attempt and delivers a surprise uppercut aimed towards the Magic Knight's lower nape.

However, Jericho anticipated this counter, and braces his right elbow with all of his strength in an attempt to dampen the momentum of the Hellhound's counter.

The counter is negated by Jericho's right elbow, using the the uppercut as an axis to add additional momentum to his deathblow, the Magic Knight drives home his decisive strike upon the Hellhound!

"OOOOOORRRRRRAAAAAA!"

The fist connects to the Hellhound's nose, the metal platings drilling into the nose of the Hellhound, the pent-up inertia now being released through the Magic Knight's [Stardust Knuckle], right before the collectively released force explodes outwards!

"EEEEEAAAATTT! TTTTTTHHHHHIIIIIISSSS!"

The punch sends the spawned champion flying off the earth, and hurling itself towards the cavern walls, before smashing into the stone surface, the sound of the impact echoing throughout the depths!

 ***BOOM***

 ***RUMBLE***

"YEEAAAHHHHH!" Jericho roared out triumphantly.

 _"I don't believe it."_ Theresa thought in surprise. _"The boy actually overcame the Demon."_

Across the cavern surface however, Tiamat still stood where she was, only now, _applauding_.

... Mockingly. Sarcastically. Spitefully.

 **"Congratulations."** Tiamat dryly remarked. **"You've managed to best only _one_ of my _many_ champions."**

"Wait..." Jericho heaved out. "... _One_?"

From the deeper depths, another Hellhound emerges, fur coat, glimmering like freshly-fallen snow, a jet-black spade pointing downwards from its forehead, it's eyes shining in a bright topaz, and in its grip of its clawed hand, a massive meat cleaver-like blade, was being dragged across the stoney earth, creating sparks against the friction.

 **"Sargon dear, playtime is over."** Tiamat bluntly ordered. **"Kill the filithy _half-Jotun_."**

The Hellhound also begins to speak in the Demonic tongue that _burned_ the ears of mere mortals.

 **"... Auk... lat urdan."**

The Hellhound springs into the air, cleaver raised over its head, and swung down towards the Magic Knight with the strength to topple mountains!

The heavy blade cleaves cleanly into the stone earth, generating a sizable fissure from its swings alone, the impact threatening to bring the whole cave system down with it!

"... Okay, of course there would be another." Jericho grimaced out. "... I feel like an idiot for not taking into account for her to have hidden reinforcements, particularly-"

Sargon swings its cleaver towards the Magic Knight, only for him to backflip out of the way.

"... From someone who uses [Summon Magic]." Jericho finished his thought out loud. "But if she can summon more, why isn't she just running us over with an entire horde?"

 **"You want to know why?"** Tiamat taunted. **"It's because last time I utilized that same tactic, there were** **survivors left. So if overwhelming them isn't efficient enough, I thought being more... methodical might yield more satisfactory results, and by that, I came all the way from the Spade Kingdom to make sure that all of the townsfolk below, _will die_."**

Before Jericho can reply, the cleaver-wielding Hellhound knocks him away into the other cavern, now out of sight from the main chamber as their brawl is taken elsewhere.

"You monster!" Theresa barked out. "Just why are so intent on killing the innocent!?"

Tiamat's irises shrink to a soul-piercing _glare_.

 **"... _Innocent_?" **Tiamat replied maliciously. **"Just who do you think you are, calling THESE LITTLE VERMIN INNOCENT!?"**

She then grabs the unconscious Marie by her hair after dropping her knife, tugging her body closer towards Tiamat, revealing the Hellhound's heavily scarred forearms underneath her cloak of dark animal pelts.

 **"YOU MORTALS THINK YOU CAN APPEAL TO A COLLECTIVE SENSE OF MORALITY JUST** **BECAUSE YOU FUCKS ESTABLISHED IT!?"** Tiamat manically _ranted_. **"IF LIVING BY THESE SO-CALLED MORALS IS SO IMPORTANT, AND SAID SENSE OF MORALS ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THE WEAK, THEN WHY ARE YOU BASTARDS NOTHING BUT MALICE AND HATRED!? WHY IS THERE NO TRUE LOVE IN YOUR HEARTS? WHY IS EVERYONE LIVING FOR THEMSELVES IF THESE SO-CALLED MORALS ARE SUPPOSED TO MAKE PEOPLE GOOD!? WHY DIDN'T ANYONE SAVE ME AT MY UTMOST TIME OF NEED, WHERE MY BODY WAS DESTROYED ALONG WITH MY _CHILD'S_!?"**

Tears of blood and tar began to seep out of her eyelids.

 **"WHY, DAMMIT!?"** Tiamat howled out in despair. **"... But then _they_ came for me."**

She then picks up her serrated knife that she dropped earlier on.

 **"Only the Demons heard my prayers..."** Tiamat _whimpered_ out. **" _Demons_ , the very ****embodiments of mortal sin, were the ones who opened my eyes..."**

She then points her knife towards Theresa, now her eyes stained with bitter blood and tar, burning like the roaring flames of the _inferno_ below.

 **"... That if one were to want love, then they have to _take_ it."** Tiamat declared in a resolute tone. **"And as the Prince of Conquest, I will take this whole rotten world, recreate it into my very image, INTO A WORLD WHERE I CAN FINALLY BE LOVED!"**

"... You are utterly pitiful." Theresa spat out. "To be taught _love_ by _Demons_ , of all things... A concept foreign to them, taught to a child who gave up too soon, all to be their puppet."

The already-enraged irises of Tiamat shrunk down to _pinpricks_.

 **"... You've pissed me off for the last time."**

In a flash, Tiamat _disappears_.

A cold sensation runs _through_ Theresa's neck like a gentle breeze.

 **"... Farewell, loveless one."**

The nun's perspective then turns upside down, before her worn temple hits the cold, hard earth below, before seeing Tiamat standing behind her _own_ headless and lifeless body.

 **"It's time that you _expired_."**

Tiamat then flicks the blood off of her dagger's serrated edge, before coming to inspect the headless body.

 **"Hm, plenty of mana to spare, despite the old age."** Tiamat remarked as she looked into the exposed nape cavity where the nun's head once laid. **"... I almost regret killing you. _Almost_."**

As Jericho was too busy fending off Sargon and his swings from his massive cleaver-blade, the unconscious Gauche slowly wakes up...

... Only to be greeted with the lifeless eyes of the deceased elderly nun.

"... Old hag?" Gauche heaved out. "... No, it can't be."

 _"There's no fire in those lifeless eyes, so it can't be her... right?"_

A foot then kicks Theresa's eyes aside, leaving a trail of blood behind.

 _"... No, it can't be, the old hag really isn't-"_

The sounds of exsanguination was heard above Gauche's temple.

The young man looks towards where his head was pointed above at.

... The pelt-wearing bitch was squeezing the blood out of the habit-wearing headless body of the old bag, wringing her wizened and paled corpse of Sister Theresa like a well-abused squeeze bottle of mayo.

"... No. No no no no no no nonononono..." Gauche whimpered out. "Not in front of Marie, not in front of my angel..."

... His prayers were rejected, as the gods arouse the sleeping young one from her slumber, and exposing the innocent one to the unspeakable display of mortal depravity and _soul-shattering_ horror that awaited her mind to be completely _destroyed_.

"... Hmhmmm..." Marie grumbled as she opened her eyes and began to smell blood once more.

"DON'T LOOK MARIE!"

It was too late for the little girl, for her elderly guardian that had taken in both her and her older brother...

... Was _already dead_.

"... No." She whimpered out. "God... please no... please... tell me I'm still dreaming..."

Tiamat drops the headless body, moves her own face closer towards the tearful little girl's own, and licks off her single tear with her pierced tongue.

 **"This is _reality_ , pumpkin."** Tiamat spoke _venomously_ into Marie's ear. **"She's _dead_."**

The last dredges of sanity now abandon the forsaken girl, as she screamed towards the stone-barricaded heavens above her head, her single, baleful and maddened wail echoed throughout the depths of the caverns cyclopian stones.

"MARIE!" Gauche roared out as he tried desperately to stand up with his heavily-fatigued body. "MOVE DAMMIT! I SAID MOVE, YOU STUPID LEGS! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE-"

Tiamat then slaps the girl right across her cheek, knocking out a few molars from her bruised cheeks, cutting off her wails of despair.

 **"... Ahhhhh~"**

Tiamat's whole body arches backwards as she moaned in pleasure, her rolled-back eyes making contact with Gauche's own as her tongue stuck out through her chapped lips.

 **"This, _child-beater_ , is true despair..." **Tiamat _drooled_ out in pure _ecstasy_. **"... The sight of utter helplessness as your beloved is now afflicted with a fate worse than death."**

Gauche then looks towards his torn-up angel.

... The angel was devoured of her innocence.

Those eyes, once being the light of his life, were now completely _extinguished_.

"... No no no no no, oh gods, please don't do this to her." Gauche whimpered out. "... Don't do this to her. ... Kill me."

 **"Oh?"** Tiamat cooed. **"What did you say? Didn't pick that up."**

"I SAID KILL ME!" Gauche roared out. "KILL ME IF IT SATISFIES YOU! I'M THE ONE YOU'RE AFTER, RIGHT!? SO IF I HAVE TO DIE JUST TO MAKE YOU HAPPY, THEN FINE! RUN A FORK THOUGH MY SKULL AND BE DONE WITH IT ALREADY! MARIE DOESN'T DESERVE ALL THIS!"

Gauche's roars lowered to a _whimper_.

"... She's just a little girl." He whimpered out. "She doesn't deserve what I went through."

Tiamat's arched-back body straightens back to normal right before facing Gauche...

... And picking him up by his collar before tossing him aside like a worn rag doll.

 **"No."** Tiamat bluntly stated. **"You ain't worth _shit_."**

Tiamat then spits at his face.

 **"For what you did to my daughter, you need to suffer."** Tiamat venomously declared. **"And if death is the only way of solace, then I have every right to deny you of your salvation, _worm_. No matter how much you beg, plea, grovel, or lick my heels, I'm not even going to even bother with the notion of pardoning you of your sins, so instead, suffer. Suffer for everything that you've ****brought upon my family. Suffer for what did to not only my daughter, but also to the kids that shielded me from your onslaught. And once your atonement has been complete, then you have my permission to _die_."**

All hope left in Gauche's heart finally withers away as the sole light of his life right in front of him ebbs further away into the dimmer and dimmer depths of _despair_.

 **"... So enjoy it, as me and my clan will take over the whole _world_." **Tiamat triumphantly remarked as Sister Theresa's blood formed itself into another maigc circle. **"Our conquest has just begun."**

* * *

 _ **Outside...**_

* * *

"... Hey, the snow stopped falling." Cole remarked at the now-normal night sky. "Guess we won't be needing the firewood, then."

Sol nods in agreement, as the two of them saw people riding on brooms heading their way.

"Evac's comin'." Sol remarked. ""C'mon, let's get these kids out of here-"

"GET BACK HERE, YOU FILTHY HALF-DEMON!"

"OH PISS OFF, YA BLOODY TWAT!"

From the forest emerged the short blond male with the disproportionately gruff voice, running away from an eyepatched man with a cloak and a longbow in hand, arrow aimed towards the blond person.

"Umm, excuse me!?" Cole called out towards the two. "... You know that this place is under Magic Knight jurisdiction, right-"

"SHUT YOUR _JAPA_!" The eye-patched man screeched back as he shot his arrow towards the blond, only for the latter to vault over it while running.

"... Um, what's going on?" Sol asked.

"I'm just as clueless as you are." Cole flatly replied.

Then their communications device buzzed.

 **[Blue Rose Knights, this is** **Jaqueline Harrs of the Coral Peacocks. There're two unknowns surrounding your evac area. What the hell's going down there? Over]**

Cole groans out before replied.

"... Coral Peacock, this is Cole Evens of the Blue Rose Knights, and I have no idea what in the hell's ingles is going on, but the two seem to be way too preoccupied to be any bother to the priorities." Cole addressed. "Proceed as planned. Over."

 **[... Affirmative. But as soon as they show any hostility towards any of us, then prepare to engage. Over]**

"Copy that." Cole stated. "The kids are ready for extraction-"

Suddenly, a top part of their cave erupts into an explosion of gravel, out with two brawny figures grappling each other midair.

"... Coral Peacock, this is Cole Evens of the Blue Rose Knights, and I'd like to deliver an update." Cole flatly spoke through the comms. "... GET US THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

 **[Copy. ETA three minutes. Over]**

The two grappling figure crash back to the earth, and revealed from the kicked-up dust cloud was a brawny Magic Knight with a Black Bulls robe around his shoulders, currently being pinned down by a massive white-furred humanoid wolf-monster, wielding an equally-massive butcher's cleaver.

"... That looks really bad." Sol pointed. "... You think we should help him-"

The Black Bull kicks the monster off of him, and the monster retaliates by smashing its massive blade into the earth, emitting a massive shockwave trailing towards the Magic Knight, with the aforementioned dodging out of the way.

"... On second thought, I don't think we're any help over there." Sol muttered out. "I mean, holy shit, man."

"You noticed too?" Cole remarked. "That monster doesn't even have a lick of mana in him, and yet he's on even ground with an ex-Royalty."

"ORA!"

Jericho punch-parries the monster's swing with his [Stardust Knuckles], only to be swatted away like a fly.

"Dammit." Jericho cursed. "I left them behind, and even worse, that thing's putting on my ropes."

Jericho then notices the Hellhound eyeing something behind him.

... Two Magic Knights and a group of children.

"Oh shit."

Sargon then makes a run towards them, running on all fours, cleaver between teeth, and its appetite for human flesh now whetted to its apex.

"NO YOU DON'T-"

The Hellhound rams Jericho out of the way, as the Magic Knight was flung into the air like a rag doll.

 _"... Godammit, I'm going to let them die."_ He thought. _"... The Clover Kingdom is going to pay the price for its complacency, starting with them..."_

He then saw the short blond man he met back at the town's diner, hand extended...

... And stops the Hellhound dead in its tracks, _constricting_ his iron vicegrip into the beast's nose.

"Oi buster." Dagda spoke to the Demon. "... Doesn't your mum still need to clear her tab after she destroyed my tavern a year back?"

Sargon tries to break free by clawing and prying the grip away with its claws, but it didn't even make the half-Demon's grip budge an inch.

"... Yeah, about that."

Dagda then crushes its nose into a bloody meatball, right before punting the Hellhound back next to where Jericho landed at.

"Oi!" Dagda cried out as he walked towards Jericho. "You okay over there?"

"... Uhh, barely." Jericho grunted out as he scrambled back up to his feet. "... Just who are you, really?"

The blond smiles.

"Name's Dagda." Dagda introduced himself. "The one-eyed arsehole behind me is Dragunov."

"Just be glad that there are bigger issues here now." Dragunov grimaced as he glared towards Sargon, now slowly standing back up. "That thing... trying to kill the kids?"

"I think the giant meat cleaver speaks for itself." Jericho pointed out as he reformed his [Stardust Knuckles]. "You two mind for one more? That thing was after me, so it'll do great if I pulled my own weight."

"Just try not to die." Dragunov stated as he drew back his arrow. "Especially you, _halfling_."

"Tch, right back at ya." Dagda remarked as he drew his dragon-handled shortsword from his back-slung sheath. "Guess it's time for good ol' [Fragarach] to rampage again."

The Hellhound charges, cleaver raised over its head, and swung down with extreme brutality.

"Now let me show you how an Ulsterian fights!" Dagda declared as he charged ahead towards Sargon. "[Counter Magic]..."

 _"... Wait, is he casting a spell with his sword!?"_ Jericho thought as he saw Dagda's sword react akin to Clover Kingdom's grimoires.

"... [Rebound Impact]!"

With his [Fragarach], Dagda parries the blow from the Hellhound's meat cleaver, redirecting the projected force back into Sargon's blade, shattering it into shrapnel.

"You're up, Dragunov!"

The one-eyed archer releases his arrow towards the beast, the arrow itself glowing before turning into lighting, and then entering through a portal, with several [Spatial Magic] portals now opening around Sargon in all directions, each portal releasing a lightning bolt firing towards him.

"[Spatial & Lightning Rune Compound Magic: _Sagitta Pluviam_ - _Fulminis_ ]!"

The many bolts of lightning shock the Hellhound into submission.

"Alright, it's my turn-"

"No, not yet." Dragunov obstructed Jericho. "It ain't dead yet."

From the smoke, Sargon, with its white fur-coat marred with burns, stands back up, now claws out and teeth bared fully from its pitch-black gums.

"... I remember that it took me everything I had to kill just one." Jericho mentioned. "So is it just me, or is that guy way more resilient?"

"What did the bloody fido looked like?" Dagda asked.

"Black fur, white spade, and blood-red eyes."

"... That was a [Zealot]-Class Hellhound, then." Dragunov grimly pointed out. "Those _sukas_ are middle of the road when it comes to overall lethality."

"Then what are we facing!?" Jericho asked. "Just what is that thing!?"

"... A fucking [Templar]-Class." Dragunov answered. "HERE IT COMES!"

Sargon then charges towards them with utmost savagery.

"HALFLING!" Dragunov roared out as he pulled back is bowstring harder. "THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO KILL YOU IS ME! SO YOU BETTER NOT DIE, YOU HEAR!?"

"Peh, I'll die whenever I please."

Dagda then grasps both of Sargon's hands while pushing back at it.

"AND IT'LL BE REALLY STUPID FOR ME TO DIE TO A NO-NAME MONGREL LIKE THIS LITTLE PUPPER!"

Dagda then yanks Sargon towards himself, while jumping up into the air at the same time, before driving both of his feet into the Hellhound's chest, and bursting out of its back.

"... That was easy." Dagda remarked as she shook off the black blood all over his clothes while Sargon, now bearing a barrel-sized hole through its chest, fell dead like a stone in water behind the half-Demon.

"Easy!?" Jericho pointed out. "You killed a Demon!"

"... About that." Dragunov pointed out. "That's not actually a Demon, more like an offshoot of a Demon's power. Like an _artificial construct_ , as you may put it."

"So that's why they emit no mana..." Jericho observed the corpse. "... Those bastards are literally meat-puppets."

"Yeah, for something so fake, these guys are really emotive." Dagda pointed out. "Can't tell if them thinking that they're really alive is either sad, or just creepy."

"They don't deserve to live." Dragunov venomously remarked as he poured a clear liquid onto it before striking a match. "They're Demons, after all."

The Inquisitor then sets the body alight, charring it into ash.

"... Okay, I didn't have time to ask this because I was being assailed by this asshole currently on fire, but who the hell are you guys?" Jericho asked the two strangers. "And by that, I mean proper introductions."

"Ah, oh right, that." Dagda remarked. "Name's Dagda, from the Ulster Alliance, Spade Kingdom. 33 years old, and I run a tavern on top of a giant pig. It's true."

"I'm Dragunov Smirnov, an Inquisitor _Kapitan_ of Avalon, Spade Kingdom. I'm 37 years old, mean and my subordinate, Kalashnikov Turgenev, were sent Southeast to track down and kill Tiamat, and I swore upon an oath to kill every Demon I run into, including this filthy halfling as soon as I get the chance."

"Wait, _halfling_?" Jericho pointed out. "I remember that I being keep called a _half-Jotun_ constantly for the past few hours. What the hell does that even mean?"

The two look at Jericho in confusion.

"... You know that a half-Jotun is really not that hard to recognize, right?" Both stated in perfect unison.

Before Jericho can ask another question on the whole "half-Jotun" business, several Magic Knights bearing the Coral Peacock sigil descend from the skies from their brooms.

"Okay, who needs evac!?" The head Coral Peacock called out.

"Over here!" Cole replied with his hands up and waving. "Get em out of here! This place is about to turn into a warzone!"

"Help the kids in. Help is at the other side." The head Coral Peacock spoke out as she opened a portal. "Name's Jaqueline Harrs, [Spatial Magic] user."

As Cole and Jaqueline get the kids through the portal one at a time, something began picking away in Sol's mind.

 _"Now that I think about it..."_ Sol thought as she looked back at the cave's entrance. _"... What's taking them so long?"_

Her thoughts were then cut off by several young women emerging from the foliage, four of them wearing the Blue Rose Knights Robes, while one had a cloak and two sheathed swords around her waist, her sharp eyes clashing horribly with her rod-like object held orally, along with her slightly-pink blushes on her cheeks.

"... Who are you people, exactly?" Sol asked. "I know that most of you are Blue Rose Knights, but what's with her?"

The girl with the black bob cut heaves out a few tired breaths before answering.

"... It's a long story."

* * *

 _ **Back Inside the Depths...**_

* * *

"Okay shitheel, where are the rest of them at?" Juniper asked as she and her squad pushed the two Sluice Brothers into the cave for guidance.

"Geez, calm down, it's not like we're established any long-contacts with the others." Baro grumbled out in slight annoyance. "Us scumbags only lasted this long because we keep a good length of _social distancing_."

"Ugh, why are we even listening to him?" Noire pointed out as she ground her teeth in frustration. "And you better not be leading us in circles, or otherwise, I might slip, and turn your fatass _inside-out_."

Suddenly, Lyra's lyre strings stop reverberating.

"... I take it that's bad." Juniper pointed out.

"The strings were supposed to detect the children's heartbeats..." Noire pointed out in horror. "... So the absence means."

"Aw shitbiscuits, boss lady's going scorched earth." Baros grumbled out. "... She's about to make a run for it, supposedly by _'lightening the load'_ , if you know what I mean."

"They're killing the kids." Cygnus pointed out as she materialized her [True Love's Kiss], a sword forged from her [Ice Magic] in her hand. "That means they're close."

As they approached deeper into the depths, the scent of blood began to grow more poignant and _bitter_ to their noses.

"... Too close." Juniper gagged out. "I don't even want to look what's beyond there..."

 **"Jiak cannoav blame lat."**

Behind them, an unholy voice was heard, revealing a hulking figure wearing a wolf pelt over its head emerged, its clawed fingers jutting out of Neige's chest, impaling him and killing him.

"... How?" Lyra asked in a dumbfounded tone. "I couldn't hear its heartbeat... let alone _mana_."

 **"Lat aukukume avoo much."** The pelt-wearing... _thing_ remarked. **"... Ahem, excuse my language, does this sound more... friendly?"**

The thing's voice transitioned from an incomprehensible and snarling voice to a more, human-like voice.

Noire then notices Baro _wetting himself_ before this anomaly's presence.

"You know this guy, lardball?" Noire asked, all the while, suppressing her sense of horror in her attempts to keep face.

"We're dead, we're so fucking dead, we're dead, we're dead, we're dead..." Baros whimpered out as tears and snot dribbled down from his facial orifices.

The pelt-wearing thing lets out a small chuckle before devouring Neige's head off before tossing it aside.

 **"... There's no need to fear, human."** The thing stated in a serene tone. **"After all, _you're already dead_."**

"Wha-What-"

Baro then suddenly _explodes_ into a cascade of blood, bile, blubber, and bones in an instant in Juniper's grasp, splashing blood all over their faces and robes.

 **"Excuse the mess, I meant it to be a quick kill."** The thing remarked towards the _bloodstained_ Magic Knights. **"But still, it's rather rude of me to not introduce myself."**

Around this enigmatic pelt-wearing figure, several sounds of snarls were closing in towards the now-surrounded Blue Rose Knights.

 **"I am Romulus Apsu Babylonia, second-in-command of Tiamat's Hellhounds, and a [Messiah]-Class Hellhound, with several [Martyr], [Crusader], and a few [Zealots]-Class Hellhounds now all behind me, ready to devour you all fine people down to the very _last_ bone at my command."**

The blood on the Blue Rose Knights's faces began to float off and gravitate towards Romulus's hand.

 **"... But enough of playing with our food."** Romulus declared. **"Time for the appetizer."**

The orb of blood in Romulus's hand forms into a magic circle.

 **"[Summon Magic: Knighting Ceremony]."**

The Hellhounds behind Romulus all begin to grow in size, now with a pack of towering Hellhounds before them.

 **"Now the once-mewling [Martyr]-Class Hellhounds have been promoted to [Crusaders]."** Romulus remarked. **"Kill them."**

"NOIRE!"

Blood then splatters everywhere around the cavern walls.

 **"... Wait."**

Romulus then sniffs the "bloodstains".

 **"... That's _no_ blood." **He remarked. **"... They couldn't have gone far. Find them."**

The [Crusader] and [Zealot]-Class Hellhounds scatter around the caverns, searching for their elusive appetizers.

 **"... So a [Spatial Magic] user pulls wool over my eyes, _once more_." **

Romulus then punches through the stone wall with ease, digging through it like water.

 **"... You can run, _little lambs_. But you can _never_ outrun a Hellhound."**

He then enters into the blood-splattered chambers of the caverns, where a single lance was staked into the ground, slowly absorbing the blood of the slaughtered children into it from its dual-pronged spearhead.

 **"... And you _especially_ cannot outrun an _apex predator_." **Romulus grinned manically as he retrieved the spear from the ground. **"[Bident, the Infernal Impaler] will drink all your blood until your bodies turn into husk, and the children will feast on your sinews."**

Romulus then begins his prowl around the depths for the ones that got away.

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** A short chapter I wanted to get out of the way so I can work on my other fics. Hopefully, this will suffice in terms of content. Also, plenty of foreshadowing for future arcs.

Clarification for Tiamat's [Summon Magic]'s summon pool (think Gacha RPGs).

1-Stars: [Martyr]-Class; the rank-and-file Hellhounds, the "children" of the pack.

2-Stars: [Crusader]-Class; the squad captain, the "older siblings" of the pack.

3-Stars: [Zealot]-Class; the division captains, the "young adults" of the pack.

\- Named [Zealot]-Class: [Kingu] and [Gilgamesh]

4-Stars: [Templar]-Class; the overseers, the "mature adults" of the pack.

\- Named [Templar]-Class: [Sargon]

5-Stars: [Messiah]-Class; the leaders, the "elders" of the pack, has access to [Summon Magic] spells.

\- Named [Messiah]-Class: [Romulus Apsu Babylonia]

0-Stars: [Prophet]-Class; the one who's summoning the Hellhounds in the first place, the true leader of the pack, Tiamat, the Prince of Conquest.

\- The "prince" part is only a title, "She is the King" rule is in full effect.

Also, Hypothetical Voices (for funsies):

 **Jacqueline Harrs: Eriko Matsui (JPN), Ashly Burch (ENG)**

 **Romulus Apsu Babylonia: Katsuyuki Konishi (JPN), Curtis Arnott/Takahata 101 (ENG)**

So, what do you guys think of this Saga?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd love to know what my audience are thinking!


	36. Saga 36: Hellhound on my Trail Part 4

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 36: Hellhound on my Trail Part 4**

* * *

 **Nean Cavern Depths, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom, Night**

* * *

 ** _"Sniff avhem ouav!"_ **The [Messiah]-Class Hellhound's _booming_ voice like _thunder_ echoed around the cavern walls, literally barking out orders to the lesser Hellhounds in pursuit of the escaped knights. _**"**_ ** _Theausan couldn'av have gone largat!"_**

In the pitch black depths, the four isolated Blue Rose Knights were hiding from the Hellhounds in pursuit of them, all of them covering their mouths to hide the sounds of their collective breaths, all the while, trying not to lose whatever's left of their scant composures from the Demons hunting them down like prey.

Noire was especially on the verge of breaking, with her now pale and haggard after she used her [Spatial Magic] to allow her and her fellow Magic Knights to evade Romulus's _d_ _eath sentence_.

"... Are they gone?" Juniper whimpered out as she tried to peek out of her cover, but after witnessing the Hellhound's might and prowess firsthand, nearly lost all her nerve in the face of their precarious position.

She wanted to her [Leaf Recovery Magic: Aromatherapy-Bayleaf] to calm herself, but considering that the Hellhounds were literally sniffing them out, Juniper realizes that her chances of survival were better when she's panicked rather when she makes attempts to calm herself down.

The last she wants to do is to flavor her own corpse for the Hellhounds's supper.

"... So, wha-what happened?" Juniper asked in the most quietest voice she can muster, rivaling that of a mewling's first sqeak upon its birth. "How the hell did we end up here?"

"... My... [Cat Box]." Noire slurred out. "It allows me to teleport as many people as I want at a random location, but in exchange, I have to leave something that belongs to me behind in my place."

"... So that's you're so pale." Juniper realized why her squad leader was reduced to a sickly state.

"Yep... Left behind about a _quarter_ of my own blood back there." Noire heaved out as she took out a blue patch and stuck it onto her bicep. "... Thank god for adrenaline patches helping my heart pump more blood for a brief moment. But even then, if I use the spell one more time at a short notice... I _will_ die of excess blood loss."

Lyra nods in agreement as she puts down her lyre.

"... I have an idea." Lyra pointed out. "We use this to draw attention away from the Hellhounds after us, all the while hiding our footsteps with my [Sound Magic]."

"How?" Juniper asked.

"... [White Noise]." Lyra answered. "I can throw their ears off for about ten minutes, but in turn, I'm going to have to leave this behind. After that, I'll be left without an offensive use for my magic, since all of my spells require a stringed instrument to use as a conduit, and I can only carry one at a time."

"Okay, but what about our scents?" Juniper pointed out. "They still have their noses!"

"My [Ice Magic] can cover our scents, but it requires to put ice patches on our own bodies, particularly in areas that are... rather _sensitive_." Cygnus stated embarrassingly. "... Armpits, necks, the crotch, anywhere where the sweat glands are the most numerous... I hope you're comfortable wearing ice-cold underwear, June."

The auburn-haired girl gulps.

"... Anything to get the hell out of this place." She nervously answered.

"Okay, that leaves our method of escape..." Noire grumbled out. "... So who's carrying me?"

"..." All of the Blue Rose Knights with all of their blood still flowing in their bodies looked at each other in befuddlement.

"... What? One adrenaline patch ain't gonna give all my blood back."

* * *

 **Nean, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom, Approaching Midnight**

* * *

"... Shouldn't you be asleep?" Yuno asked Rebecca, who was still sitting across him at the table.

She shook her head.

"Not until the kids come back." Rebecca stated. "At least that way, I can be sure that my siblings can sleep soundly tonight."

The two continued to sit across each other in awkward silence.

"... In hindsight, I really shouldn't shown you my scars." Yuno sheepishly pointed out. "I mean, my brother Asta would do that, but... ugh, I'm sorry. Just beating a dead horse at this rate..."

"No... it's all right..." Rebecca sighed out. "In fact, I ain't so bothered by the scars."

"Why so?" Yuno asked.

Rebecca sighs out as she stared into the candlelight.

"Before I heard your little... story, my opinion on the Magic Knights as a whole were rather... shall we say, _dour_." Rebecca sighed out. "Looking back, I always assumed that the only reason why people don't call out the Magic Knights for more of their... _demanding_ behavior, is that not only they hold our lives in their hands, but also people seem to want to be on their good side because of their power."

"... Yeah, I can understand." Yuno grumbled out. "Asta was killed by an ex-Purple Orca-turned bandit to protect me."

"Did you know that a few days back, me and my friends were supposed to be at a mixer before it got abruptly cancelled last minute?" Rebecca pointed out. "We were supposed to meet up with Magic Knights to 'hook up with', and while my girls were disappointed, I for one, was relieved. The less I associate with myself with those assholes, the better it is for my soul."

"How so?" Yuno asked.

Rebecca's hand balls into a fist as she gritted her teeth.

"... During a bandit attack two years ago, my parents got caught in a crossfire from one of the Magic Knights." She stated somberly. "After that, I was forced to take of my younger siblings on my own, all because that no one would care if a few civilians got caught in the crossfire. The nobles don't care about our plight, so why should I even bother even speaking up to them?"

Yuno understood her plight, for he and the rest of the church at Hage were also in a similar circumstance.

The Magic Knights never came for Asta, nor they came for the rest of the orphans at their time of need. And everyone else, except for a select few, merely watched.

They were all burdened under the yolk called "power", in awe and fear, so that no one would question their place in life.

In a world where _magic_ was _everything_ , _power_ was the _only_ thing that held any meaning in people's hearts.

"... I'm sorry." Yuno lamely apologized. "But I'm not strong enough to even make any significant difference yet. I will, but I first need to get stronger."

"... I can do nothing hope that you'll be the next Wizard King." Rebecca stated with a slight smile. "At least that way, all the sacrifices you've made won't be in vain."

"I honestly hope so." Yuno stated right before he laid his head down on the table.

As the redhead looked into the dimly-lit restaurant in silence, she notices a sprite-like figure flying towards Yuno before lying down against his head.

"... Hello there." Rebecca spoke to the [Sylph]. "Are you well?"

The [Sylph] shakes her head in disagreement with a downcast expression.

"... You want some fruit to eat?" Rebecca asked the [Sylph]. "I got a plate of Moguro Fruit at the back."

* * *

 ** _Back at the Outskirts..._**

* * *

"WELL AT LEAST I KICKED HIS ARSE OUT TEN MONTHS BACK!"

"WELL CONTRARY TO THE EVIDENCE, IT WAS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

"ARGH, PISS OFF, YOU EYE-PATCHED ARSEHOLE! SHE LEFT A HUGE TAB ON MY TAVERN AFTER WRECKING THE WHOLE BLOODY PLACE!"

As the other Magic Knights safety evacuated the kidnapped children, the four of the remaining Five Divas and an Inquisitor were awkwardly watching Dragunov and Dagda argue with each other over... actually, nobody knew, but Jericho did somewhat pick up at the spot where they began at the subject of who's going into the cave first.

"... So, for a famed Inquisitor, was he always this... passionate?" Masquerade asked Kalashnikov.

"Dagda himself was an anomaly, even for the rest of the Inquisition." Kalashnikov replied. "A legitimate half-blooded Demon, who somehow hasn't gone around and started wrecking havoc on a whim? It's suspicious, for sure, but it doesn't change the fact that he's helped us out on more than a few occasions where we had to hunt down Demons and their contract holders with his tip."

"Aren't you afraid that the two will end up killing each other mid-argument?" Bastet asked.

"If that were the case, then it would've happened long ago." Kalashnikov pointed out. "The Ulsterians are a hardy lot, but Dagda makes them look soft in comparison. That and well, the Patrem Inquisitor told the rest of the order to watch Dagda, not kill him unless the order is given."

"... Fair enough." Morrigan slurred out. "But...shouldn't they be... you know... be after... the Demon?"

"... I'll go tell them-"

"FINE! WE'LL RACE FOR THE CUNT!" Dagda hollered out. "IF I WIN, SHE PAYS OFF HER TAB BEFORE YOU OFF HER!"

"And if I win, you drop the tab, and let us do our work unimpeded." Dragunov replied.

"Is it really the time to engage in what is a dick-measuring contest?" Jericho pointed out at the two.

"SHUT IT, HALFLING!" Dagda and Dragunov yelled in unison before the two of them sprinted into the caves.

As Jericho stands completely speechless, the Coral Peacock approaches the befuddled Black Bull.

"You mind telling me what the hell is going on?" Jaqueline asked Jericho. "I need to file an update back at the headquarters."

"R-Right." Jericho stammered out. "... And you are?"

"Intermediate Magic Knight, Second Class. I am Jaqueline Harris of the Coral Peacocks." Jaqueline formally introduced as she saluted.

"Junior Magic Knight, First Class. Jericho Platnia of the Black Bulls." Jericho saluted back. "... And as for what I know... turns out the whole operation of kidnapping children might be nothing short of a _cult_ gathering sacrifices for their alter."

"So a cult, then." Jaqueline stated as she jotted down notes on her notepad. "And just what was that thing you were fighting back there along with those two strangers?"

"Would believe that one of them is an actual Demon Hunter and the other happens to be a ridiculously-overpowered _bartender_?" Jericho pointed out. "Oh, and that thing we just fought? There's more of them in there, and they're using the children's blood to summon these hellspawns!"

The Coral Peacock swallows before she finishes writing down her report.

"Alright, I'll call for reinforcements." Jaqueline stated as she took out her comms device. "You try and regroup the remaining Magic Knights to venture into the cave to cover some ground."

"Got it." Jericho stated as he ran towards the other Blue Rose Knights as Jaqueline contacted HQ.

As he ran towards the group of Blue Rose Knights and one female stranger, a male Blue Rose Knight approached Jericho.

"So, what's going on?" Cole stated.

"While she's contacting HQ, we're told to go into the caves and scout out the caverns to cover ground." Jericho stated. "... And you, Miss-"

"It's Kalashnikov, you buffoon." The braided woman spat out as she adjusted her oral fixation. "And like it or not, I'm coming with you all."

"You do know that this is Magic Knight jurisdiction, right?" Sol pointed out. "Random strangers have no business with us-"

"Actually." Masquerade remarked. "... Turns out she's been through this crap before. Hell, she was the one who knows how to deal with the whole situation."

"What do you mean?" Cole asked.

"I'm an Inquisitor, you _głupek_." Kalashnikov bit out. "And what we're dealing with in there..."

She looked into the caves as she drew her flaming swords from her sheath.

"... We're dealing with Demons."

* * *

 ** _Back in the Depths..._**

* * *

Tiamat herself was no stranger to pain.

Before and after, all she knew was agony, delivered unto her mercilessly like snow and rain cascading from the skies.

For her, pain meant only two things:

The first is the reminder of her past weakness. Her existence in a world that condemned weaklings and nobodies.

The second is a reminder of burden. The price that she must pay for her ushered utopia and a home to call her own.

For her, that meant to feel what her children felt.

Their first gasps for air upon their birth, their stamping of their paws and feet as they roam the earth, and their last breaths as they met their inevitable end.

All of it, their sensations were her very _own_.

The shock that would throw a normal human's spine out of connection, the burning feeling in her chest, the pangs and jabs of negative sensory reactions that caressed throughout her body constantly, all of it, down to the last minuscule jolt in her pulsating brain, pooled and dripped down to her well of pure _hatred_ against all the living.

Their sacrifices will not be in vain. Her children's deaths will be avenged. All of mankind will _suffer_ for their transgressions soon enough.

 **"... Enjoy it while you can."** Tiamat mumbled to herself as she summoned more Hellhounds to come the surrounding area. **"The only way that they'll ever leave, are as _shit_."**

She then sniffs the air, smelling something... _fresh_ , like a spring dewdrop.

... And of course, footsteps, echoing from the distance, trying to cover their tracks with an ambient background noise.

 **"Oh how cute."**

She then throws her knife into one of the cavern entrances, nailing against the wall.

 **"... Hm, slippery lot, aren't you?"** Tiamat grinned. **"You maggots can crawl, but you cannot hide forever."**

She then telepathically links her mind to her children's.

 _ **"The human intruders are heading towards the rear exit. Prepare an ambush around the rear**_ ** _perimeter."_**

As Tiamat relayed the message to her children, Gauche was still on the floor, overcome with despair of failing to protect his sister.

"Marie..." Gauche whimpered. "Marie..."

The recently summoned Hellhounds all look at the defeated Black Bull in utter distain.

 **"Mother, the maggot's whimpers are starting to irritate me."** A [Crusader]-class Hellhound spat out. **"Can we just eat him and be done with it?"**

 **"No."** Tiamat firmly rejected. **"Let him continue to suffer. The agony of him failing to protect his loved one... that shall be but the beginning of his penance as his internal screams of suffering will be the harbinger of his contrition."**

Gauche wanted to keep going, but he saw no point of doing so.

The Demons...

... They were simply at _another world_ in terms of pure power and comprehension.

"... I'm so sorry." Gauche whimpered. "Please forgive your worthless brother..."

 **"Mother..."** A female [Crusader]-class Hellhound growled out. **"... The human's voice is starting to irritate me even more."**

 **"Hmm..."** Tiamat caressed her chin. **"... Perhaps we can make him suffer _more_. Pin him down."**

Gauche was then beset by the whole horde of the canid Demons, head and neck forced to face Marie once again, arms and legs, once numb, now clamped down onto the stone earth once more.

"What are you doing?" Gauche stated. "WHAT MORE CAN YOU WANT FROM ME AND MARIE!?"

Tiamat ignores Gauche's barks of his questions and instead tries to slap the little girl awake, but to no avail.

 **"... Can one of you get a bucket of water?"**

A [Martyr]-class delivers a swashing bucket of water in its maw.

 **"Thank you."**

Tiamat then splashes the girl awake with the bucket of water.

Marie coughs herself awake, her gaze and breathing now more feverish than before.

"... Please." Marie heaved out. "... No more... please."

 **"Sadly pumpkin, I can't do that."** Tiamat shook her head in disagreement. **"I need to hurt your brother _more_."**

She then takes out a three worn, wooden dice.

 **"We're going to play a little game that we played back at the Spade Kingdom called 'Craps'."** Tiamat declared cheerfully. **"The rules of the game, to guess which way the dice lands via odds, or evens. Guess right, we leave you alone. Guess _wrong_ , however..."**

She then brandishes her knife and caresses the tip against the her cheek, forming a small incision on her immaculate skin, causing small droplets of blood to spill out of the cut.

 **"... Well, you _know_ what's going to happen." **Tiamat grinned manically at the girl.

"... I don't want to play." Marie whimpered out.

 **"Too bad. You're gonna."** Tiamat cooed. **"But since I'm a nice person, I'll let _you_ choose who gets to go first."**

Gauche wanted to vomit at this sight of utterly unhinged sadism. They're literally forcing her to decide who essentially lives and dies at this point.

"DON'T DO THIS TO HER!" Gauche plead desperately. "LET ME GO INSTEAD-"

 **"SHUDDAP, PEANUT GALLERY!"**

A [Zealot]-class Hellhound delivers a swift kick across his cheek, knocking out several molars from his gums.

 **"Now now, Pazuzu."** Tiamat chided. **"Let them have their fun first before you lay your hands or feet on them, okay?"**

 **"... Yes mother."** The [Zealot]-class Hellhound sulked.

 **"Now then..."** Tiamat turned her attention back to the trembling girl. **"Who do you want to go first? You or your brother?"**

Marie swallows a loud gulp of fear before giving her answer.

"... I'll go." Marie hoarsely answered.

 **"Good** **girl."** Tiamat cooed. **"Now, odds or evens?"**

"... Evens."

Tiamat tosses the dice and they land at two 1s and one 2.

 **"How fortuitous."** Tiamat commented at the dice rolled at 4. **"I guess that's what you call beginner's luck."**

She then picks the dice up and kneels down towards Gauche's face.

 **"Now then..."** Tiamat spoke to the Black Bull. **"... Odds or evens?"**

"Go to hell-"

Tiamat jabs him in the nose, crunching it into his face like a bloody meatball.

 **"Or alternatively, I can take a bit more off of your little sister."** Tiamat threatened Gauche. **"I'm more than willing to respect _that_ decision."**

"... Fine." Guache grunted. "I'll take evens."

Tiamat drops the dice onto the floor.

The dice land at two 3s and one 5.

 _11_. An _odd_ number.

 **"Oh what a shame."** Tiamat sighed out as she reached for her knife. **"Now then, which should I take off first?"**

She then brushes aside his bang and reveals his mirror eye.

 **"Ooh, this will fetch a pretty** **yul."**

Tiamat jams her knife blade into his artificial eye, attempting to pry his [Reflector] out of his iris socket.

The crystal eyeball is then cut loose from its socket and rolls across the stone floor.

 **"Hmm..."** Tiamat remarked as she inspected his [Reflector] as Gauche gasped out in pain. **"... I guess I'll make this my keepsake."**

Marie's eyes were forcibly pried open by one of the Hellhounds to see the horror down to the last moment.

"... Please... no more..." Marie begged. "... Stop it... please..."

 **"... Nope."** Tiamat rejected the girl's pleas. **"We're gonna keep playing until one of you has _nothing_ left of you** **to cut off. Now, odds, or evens?"**

"*Sniff*... help me big brother..."

Tiamat slaps Marie across her face.

 **"Odds, or evens?"** Tiamat growled out.

"... Evens." Marie whimpered out as she begins to break down into tears as Tiamat rolls the dice, the three dice landing at the total value _13_.

 **"Oof, tough luck, girly."** Tiamat replied at the hysterical girl. **"Say goodbye to your ear."**

Guache then hears an ear-piercing shriek, followed up by a cut-off ear landing right in front of his face.

Gauche starts hyperventilating from the pain inflicted upon his angel.

His past hardships was now heaven in comparison to the madness unfolding before him.

The macabre scene unfolding before him was _literally_ Hell on earth, and the only things he can hear were the shrieks and sobs of his sister and Tiamat's phrase:

 **"Odds or evens?"**

He only hears the dice clack against the stone earth coupled with the chortles and cackling of the harlot's children.

* * *

 ** _Near the Cavern's Rear Exit..._**

* * *

"I smell fresh air up ahead..." Juniper panted as she ran while carrying Noire on her back.

"... Good." Noire moaned out, her skin now being less pale. "... The sooner we're out, the better chance to recover properly."

"Tell me about it..." Cygnus groaned out duller than usual. "... This is way over our heads."

Lyra wordlessly nods as she helps the others continue their escape.

The four then slowly sneak their way out of the exit, granted that if the Hellhounds weren't waiting for them-

"... Girls." Juniper pointed out. "... Call me paranoid, but is the whole cave... too quiet?"

 **"Too laave, moravaulk."**

Behind them, Romulus appeared, now wielding a dual-pronged polearm and ready to thrust at them.

Juniper jumps out of the way, but the dual-pronged lance grazes across Noire's arm.

 **"A shame, really."** Romulus snidely commented. **"You've chosen a slow and painful death."**

"What do you mean?" Juniper asked before she noticed floating droplets of blood coming out of Noire's grazed arm.

The red droplets were floating towards the Hellhound's lance, the tip of the spear absorbing it drop by drop.

 **"Figured it out, didn't you?"** Romulus smirked. **"My [Bident] has properties of siphoning out a target's blood with every strike. So now here's the real concern..."**

Around the Blue Rose Knights, several Hellhounds came out hiding, all of them baring their teeth and fangs, snarling and growling at the four.

 **"... Will there be enough blood left in all of your bodies to summon more Hellhounds? Let's find out."**

The Hellhounds comes swarming forth at the four from all sides.

"Everyone! Hold the line!" Juniper stated as she bound Noire around her back with her [Wall Ivy].

Cygnus manifests [True Love's Kiss] in her hands and starts hacking away at the Hellhounds, Lyra uses Juniper's [Grass Blade] to fend off the Hellhounds, and Juniper conjures more [Wall Ivy] as impromptu whips.

"DAMMIT! WE'VE BEEN HAD!" Juniper cried out as she snared sever Hellhounds with her [Wall Ivy]. "WE NEED TO BREAK THROUGH THEIR LINES, NOW!"

 **"Break through? Escape?"** Romulus chucked out. **"Wishful thinking, mortals. We Hellhounds never let our prey get away. From the moment we drew first blood upon your kind, you've already lost. It's only a matter of time that then whole world gets overrun by our brood, and the rest of you filth become our cattle."**

"Cattle!?" Cygnus cried out as she tore through more Hellhounds, her sides being set upon by even more Hellhounds.

 **"Yes. Cattle."** Romulus clarified mockingly. **"As in, food,** **substance, nourishment, _enslavement_."**

"WE WILL NEVER BECOME YOUR SLAVES!" Lyra roared out as she fought on. "WE HUMANS WILL NOT SUBMIT TO YOU DEMONS!"

Romulus let out a wicked cackle upon hearing those words of unwitting blasphemy.

 **"What do you mean 'never submit'?"** Romulus pointed out. **"Ever since you humans realized your place in the fabric of creation, all you ever did was submit."**

Romulus's words burned to the ears, just listening to his breath exhaled into unholy words clawed and mauled at their souls.

 **"You've curried for our favor in exchange for power, knowledge, desire, and countless other wishes that only you humans, the most basic of all of the lifeforms, just to get ahead."** Romulus spoke out in an outright _toxic_ tone. **"As you humans continued to curry our favor, our powers began to grow from your collective sins, your ancestors more than willingly accepted our help, and in turn, all your kind ever did was sewn the seeds of your own self-destruction. Did you know that we were more than content to just watch and let you idiots destroy yourselves? Well, guess what, I'm not so content on just merely watching you all die like the rest of your race of maggots."**

Romulus then begins slowly walking towards the Magic Knights.

 **"I simply thought that it'll be better to let you humans know that matter of fact to your faces."** Romulus grinned. **"And I was right. Watching you and the rest of your kind despair at your newly-realized insignificance is easily the most satisfying sensation that I've ever felt. You humans deserve everything what's coming to you, and our mistress, Tiamat, will bring upon judgement to this** **diseased world, and humble all creation back to their rightful place; under. Our. Heels."**

"BULLSHIT!"

Juniper stamp-kicks a Hellhound out of the way.

"Sure, we're all pieces of shit." Juniper pointed out. "It doesn't matter if they're peasant or a noble. Everyone can be an utter asshole at times, but in the end, does that really matter in the grand scheme of things?"

Juniper stands her ground as she continues to fight off more Hellhounds.

"Everyone has the choice to be good or evil. And sometimes they don't, but that doesn't change the fact that people change as they continue to live on." Juniper retorted. "You're so quick to make the judgement call that all of us humans are better off being your cattle... SCREW THAT! NO ONE TELLS WHAT WE DO IN OUR LIVES! IN THE END, IT'S OUR CHOICE THAT WE CONTINUE LIVING IN THIS PIECE OF SHIT OF A WORLD, AND WHO CARES IF OUR ANCESTORS CAME TO YOU BASTARDS! IT WAS OUR CHOICE, AND RIGHT NOW, THE ONLY WAY IS FORWARD! DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE TELL US THAT OUR END IS COMING! ALL LIFE IS DESTINED TO COME TO AN END, BUT IT'LL BE ON OUR TERMS!"

Romulus simply begins to clap his hands sarcastically.

 **"How trite."**

He then suddenly appears before Juniper, and harpoons his [Bident] through her foot, nailing her down as she shrieked in pain.

She tries to pull it out of her feet, but the polearm refused to even budge an inch.

 **"You've chosen death either way."** Romulus mocked. **"How adorable, thinking that your death will spite us Demons, just because it was your choice. _Fool_ , your collective deaths _are_ our goal, regardless how it's done. It's just unlike the rest of my immature [Stygian] ****brethren, I'm more inclined to take a more direct participation. I need to watch you all die in my hands. I need to see you slowly edge to your inevitable despair. For I am the sin of [Grudge], I am Romulus, the faithful hand of our Prince."**

 **Name: [Romulus Apsu Babylonia]**

 **Rank: [Harab Serapel]**

 **Magic: [Summon Magic] (borrowed)**

 **Sin: [Grudge]**

The [Bident] that nailed through her foot begins sucking out her blood from her body.

 **"I'll let you watch as your comrades die..."** Romulus stated menacingly. **"... While you slowly edge closer and closer to your inevitable demise."**

"JUNE!" Cygnus cried out.

 **"Too laave."**

Romulus already appeared before the [Ice Magic] user, his right fist wound back to his shoulder.

 **"[Demonic Art: Cerberus Fang]."**

The fist makes physical contact with Cygnus's midsection right before he disconnects it at the last second.

"... Huh, I don't feel anything-"

Three, fist-shaped craters dug into her flesh and bone, right before her whole upper body _exploded_ into a geyser of blood and shattered bone.

The rest of the Blue Rose Knights watching were horrified beyond words at what they just saw.

 **"One down."** Romulus remarked as Cygnus's remaining lower half fell onto the stone-cold earth in an undignified heap. **"And the rest to go."**

 _"... So that's how he killed the fat bastard?"_ Juniper thought. _"The attack came so fast and hard that it looks like the human body exploded instantaneously to a person's naked eye. No mana or anything. Just raw, physical prowess..."_

"LYRA! RUN!" Juniper screeched out in desperation.

She tried to run, but before she can escape, her leg was snagged by a [Zealot]-class Hellhound, causing her to buckle, before being piled on by the Demons, devoured piecemeal in an outright _demented_ feeding frenzy.

 **"... Well that didn't take long."** Romulus snidely remarked. **"Lucky for you, I can now kill you both swiftly. Consider it an honor."**

"Oh God, we're fucked..." Juniper whimpered out. "Father, brother, Yuno, forgive me..."

Romulus yanks [Bident] out of Juniper's leg.

 **"Say goodbye, and tell Cain that Romulus sent you him."**

The [Bident] stakes into the ground...

... Only to be met with a sizable puddle of blood once where the two Magic Knights were laid.

 **"... Once again, the humans evade me with their [Spatial Magic]."** Romulus grumbled as he pulled his spear off the ground. **"Oh well, plenty of other prey to go around."**

As far as he and the other Hellhounds were concerned. they weren't going to miss out on the game of Craps.

* * *

 ** _Back at Nean..._**

* * *

"... It's getting late." Yuno remarked as his [Sylph] slept on top of his head. "I can keep watch for you, you know."

Rebecca shook her head in disagreement.

"... Can't blame ya for worrying." Yuno spoke out. "If anything, I wish I was the one out there, helping rescue those children, knowing that I can make someone sleep soundly tonight."

"I guess." Rebecca sighed out tiredly. "... You want some more tea-"

 ***CRASH***

The sound came from _upstairs_.

"OH MY GOD! THAT CAME FROM UPSTAIRS!" Rebecca cried out in panic as she rushed towards upstairs.

Yuno hastily followed her up, grabbing his crutch and hobbling upstairs towards where Rebecca's siblings were at.

He enters the room, and in the middle of the room below a breached roof, was Juniper and Noire, both looking sickly-pale and bleeding out all over.

"June?' Yuno weakly asked out. "What the hell happened?"

Juniper tries to speak, but unable to muster most of her words due to her severely weakened state.

Yuno gets closer to her as Rebecca tries to calm the crying younger siblings.

He only manages to make out a few of her hoarse words.

"... Demons... don't go..."

Yuno was now done waiting around.

The Demons now gravely injured his friend, and now, he can no longer just simply stand by and watch as all this travesty unfolds before him.

"... Rebecca." Yuno stated as he ditched his entire first-aid kit he had on his waist pouch. "Can you at least bandage the two?"

"Y-Yeah, why?" Rebecca asked in confusion.

Two pairs of thin wings made of verdant wind appeared on Yuno's back as he slowly lifted himself off of the floor.

"... I'm going to break my curfew."

Yuno then flies off into the night sky, with a renewed resolve to _kill_ the Demons that dare hurt his loved ones again.

 **"Y-YUNO!"** The [Sylph] squawked out in jittered surprise. **"WHAT'S GOING ON!? WHY ARE YOU FLYING!?"**

"HANG ON!" Yuno cried out as he flew faster with his wind-crafted wings. "THIS IS GONNA GET REALLY MESSY!"

* * *

 ** _Back at the game of Craps..._**

* * *

 **"Odds or evens?"**

For the past half-hour that felt like an eternity, those were the _only_ words that Marie heard amidst the laughter and jeers of the monster's peers, and the occasional grunt and shriek of pain after every wrong guess made on which way the three dices landed.

She could no longer recognize who's voice's were who's. She can no longer feel her arms and legs bound behind her and cut up like a crude piece of meat. She can barely see anything around her, all blurring and fading into incoherent shapes and blobs of mixed color and dynamics.

... _Someone_ taught her that a single day in Hell was like a bird took a single grain of sand from another shore to another island, until that first shore was completely barren of its sand.

... Yes. She now knew the feeling firsthand. She was in _Hell_.

Alone. With no one to help her. But even then, she still wanted to cry out.

Cry out. Cry out towards the heavens that abandoned her and her brother. Cry out as loud as possible until her lungs caught on fire.

She wanted to cry for help, despite it might being it in vain.

"HELP ME!" Marie cried out. "SOMEONE! ANYONE! PLEASE HELP ME-"

Tiamat slaps Marie across her cheek, causing her to spit out more of her molars from her bloodied gums.

 **"Didn't you get the fucking memo?"** Tiamat remarked maliciously. **"No one's coming to help you. So let me make this evidently clear for your only choice..."**

Tiamat shows her the dice in her hands.

 **"Odds... or evens?"**

"... Odds."

Tiamat tosses the dice as they land on the floor.

1, 4, and 4, making the total sum 9.

Odds.

 **"Lucky you. You're spared of a mutilation."**

Tiamat then picks up the dice and head towards Gauche.

 **"Now then..."** Tiamat spoke to Gauche, his eyes now devoid of all light. **"... Odds or evens?"**

"... Go to hell." He defiantly gasped out.

Tiamat then balls her hand holding the dice into a fist before punching him in the throat.

Gauche then vomits out blood before Tiamat wrestles his head up facing her.

 **"... Odds, or evens?"** Tiamat growled out. **"Clack your teeth once if odds. Clack twice if evens."**

Gauche clacks his teeth twice, indicating evens.

 **"Alright, let's see what lady luck says about you!"** Tiamat stated as she threw the dice into the air right before they landed on the ground.

5, 3, and 6, a total sum of 14.

 **"And lady luck declares you a ladykiller!"** Tiamat faux-cheered. **"... Oh you tease, if you weren't the one who kicked my daughter aside like some cheap alley trash, I've might've laid with you before I ate you headfirst."**

"Why..." Gauche coughed out, his voice barely audible to the human ear. "... What enjoyment do you get from this?"

 **"Hmm... I'd say _nostalgia_."** Tiamat answered. **"Back at the Spade Kingdom, I was one of the few people who weren't born with magic, and even though the king and queen did provide a roof over our heads for us unfortunate folk, we were still considered the trash of society. The ones who couldn't start a fire or work the fields as well as the others. The ones that couldn't hunt an animal or contribute to society, all because magic has poisoned their minds and souls. It got so bad that several of my kin sold their bodies just to get by, the denizens of Grinberryall's conclave calling us 'useless whores', myself included."**

Tiamat then lets out a small chuckle that wounded beyond wrong and broken.

 **"Eventually, a man named Dante took me in as his personal plaything."** Tiamat spoke out in an increasingly _demented_ tone. **"He and the rest of his Dark Triad force me and the others to play the game of Craps, where the only thing we were allowed to bet were our bodies. Our flesh. Our blood. First one who made the wrong guess? An asshole named Zeno beheaded her with his [Bone Magic]. Second one lost her arms and legs before being thrown out into the cold, left to freeze to death. Third? She died slowly and painfully when the Dark Disciples had their way with her. Eventually, I was the only one left."**

Tiamat then began grinding her teeth against each other in stress.

 **"First, they took all of my toes. Then, they sliced off my ear. After that, they tattooed my entire back and flayed it off to let it hang in front of my face. I saw that they tattooed a picture of themselves on my flayed back. And after** **that..."**

Tiamat's eyes began to tear out tar and blood.

 **"... They killed my _baby_ , right in front of me."** Tiamat's voice trembled out. **"Forced me to watch. Every, last, moment, of my... child's life be carved off of his small, fragile form... all** **because we were born without magic... reduced to toys... not as human beings, but as simply... _trash_."**

Her hysterics turned into a _maniacal cackle_.

 **"Now you magic users... hehehehe... can suffer the same agony... hehehehe... that I felt... hehehe... on that very day..."** Tiamat heaved out in-between her fits of laughter. **"... The whole world will know, the Hell I've been born and thrown into. The same Hell that I was saved and** **rescued from. Dante was right. Malice is part of true human nature. And as a Demon, I will make sure that they pay for every inch they just continue to take, take, TAAAAAAAKEEE!"**

Tiamat slams her fist into the ground, creating a massive and jagged crater upon contact.

 **"But enough about me."** Tiamat cooed out. **"It's _your sister's_ turn."**

She then presents the dice before Marie.

 **"Odds or evens?"**

"... Evens."

She drops the dice onto the fractured ground.

The dice tumbled towards the lowest part of the crater, with the numbers being literally for fate and gravity to decide.

5.

5.

3.

13.

 _Odds_.

 **"... Looks like _13_ is your unlucky number."** Tiamat jested maliciously at the trembling girl. **"If there's any consolation, you'll look absolutely _daring_ in an _eyepatch_."**

Tiamat then stabs Marie in her left eye, gouging out the fleshy sphere with the tip of her shiv.

Gauche wanted to scream, he wanted to take retribution towards the Demon that was inflicting the hellish torture upon his angel.

... But he couldn't. He was also subject to the same torture. He was forced to watch as these mongrels continue to defile Marie.

 **"Well, I had fun."** Tiamat stated as she waved around her dagger with Marie's eyeball at the tip. **"Now, it's your turn."**

He wanted to beg, but his throat was caved into the back his neck, preventing him from speaking.

 **"Come on now..."** Tiamat cooed. **"Odds or evens-"**

*BOOM*

A loud sound was heard behind Gauche, and above him, several Hellhounds were sent flying into air.

"OUT OF MY BLOOMIN' WAY, YA MONGRELS!"

*BOOM*

Another sound of an explosion, and more Hellhounds sent flying like confetti in the wind.

"DIE DEMONS! YOU DON'T BELONG IN THIS WORLD!"

A hail of arrows tipped with ice rain down upon them, nailing the Hellhounds down flawlessly.

"... Who... are you?" Gauche gagged out through his ruptured throat at the short blond man and the tall raven-haired man.

"Just a traveling bartender." The blond man stated.

"The one who'll slay the Demon." The raven-haired man remarked.

Before Gauche can speak any more, he passes out.

"OLD MAN!"

Behind the two, Kalashnikov and the remaining Blue Rose Knights ran towards them.

"NIKO! WE NEED AN EXTRACTION!" Dragunov ordered as he drew back an arrow. "GET THE TWO OUT OF HERE!"

 **"Peh, I had my fun with them."**

Tiamat then tosses the broken and butchered body of the little girl right into Kalashnikov's arms.

"... You _suka_." Kalashnikov growled out. "Old man, let me have at her."

"No, get them out of here." Dragunov vetoed. "We're facing Tiamat and her central brood."

"... Don't die on me, old man." Kalashnikov stated as she carried the black-robed young man over her right shoulder. "Hey third wheel! Carry the girl out!"

"R-Right!" Cole stuttered out as he gently picked up the little girl. "Oh god, she's so fragile..."

The group then run out the way they came from.

"Oi..." Dagda leered at the Hellhound. "... Remember me?"

 **"... Hm, no."**

With the snap of her fingers, she signals the Hellhounds to attack the two.

"I got the front." Dagda stated as he drew his [Fragarach] from his back.

"... And I'll take the rest." Dragunov stated.

Dagda then charges towards the pack.

"[Counter Magic: Reject Impact]!"

With the swing of his blade, the Hellhounds were all sent flying into the air.

"My turn." Dragunov stated as he took aim. "[Spatial & Ice Rune Magic: _Sagitta Pluviam_ - _Grando_ ]!"

He fires his arrow into a portal, and out the other end came out several shots of ice-tipped arrows, each landing their mark on each Hellhound, not one missing their shot, nailing all of them into the stone walls of the cavern.

 **"Well, I'll be damned..."** Tiamat chuckled out. **"... Small world, eh you _midget_?"**

"OI, YOU CHEEKY TART!" Dagda hollered out as he pointed his [Fragararch] towards Tiamat. "YOU OWE ME YUL FOR DESTROYIN' ME TAVERN! ALSO, FUCK YE FOR CALLIN' ME A 'MIDGET'!"

"As per order bequeathed from the Patrem Inquisitor and the King of Avalon, Arthur Britannia Pendragon upon thy, Tiamat, the Prince of Conquest, I hereby come for your head!" Dragunov declared as he pulled back his arrow towards the Hellhound. "Resistance is futile! Surrender, and we'll bestow ye a quick death!"

Tiamat's eyelid simply twitch in irritation while retaining her faux smile.

 **"... Over my dead body, you schmucks."**

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Well, here's more bodies added to the pile.

Had to look up the game of Craps just to make things a bit more interesting, and my idea just came from Dante's little gimmick of the whole "satiating his own malice", so making that a little transplant just to make Tiamat more fucked up than she already is.

With that said, Yuno is about to do something stupid, and people IRL are about to do something stupid en masse during a friggin' PANDEMIC.

Finals are coming up next week, and as soon as I'm done...

... I might ponder downloading Arknights over summer.

So what do you guys think of Saga?

Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what you guys are thinking!

Also no, the summer heat will not cure COVID-19, so please, stay home and contribute to flattening the curve.


	37. Saga 37: Hellhound on my Trail Finale

_**Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by**_ ** _Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump._**

 **Saga 37: Hellhound on my Trail Finale**

* * *

 **Nean Cavern Depths, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom, Early Dawn**

* * *

At the ruined chambers, Dagda, Dragunov, and Tiamat were staring each other down, all three of them now emitting a killer's aura aimed towards one another.

Tiamat twirls her knife between her fingers, Dagda tossed his blade in his hand, and Dragunov kept a firm grip on the end of his arrow.

The atmosphere becomes increasingly tense, with neither side not making any drastic moves, each combatant carefully observing each other with eyes of hawks, ready to pounce at a moment of slight notice.

A drop of sweat drips down from Dragunov's brow.

The bulb makes its way down across his cheek, down to the tip of his goateed chin...

... Before it fell and splashed onto the stone earth.

Upon the dew landing, Dagda and Tiamat charge towards each other, blades out and striking each other, sending hot sparks flying into the air with their respective swings.

"Ya gonna pay that tab ya owe me, little tart." Dagda whispered out menacingly.

 **"I owe you jack, _midget_." **Tiamat growled in retaliation before swinging her blade once more, striking against [Fragarach]'s fine edge.

The two continue clashing blades, as Dragunov ran around the fight's circumference, trying to get in a clear shot at the Demon.

He didn't care which one, as long as it _hit_.

 _"Come on, you bastards..."_ Dragnuov thought. _"... 'Just hold still', is what I would say to normal game, but Demons are beyond such reason."_

Dragunov already accepted that in order to hunt down Demons and their willing worshippers, it's anything goes for him as much it is for his prey.

At the epicenter, Dagda and Tiamat continue to clash, the Hellhound Prince of Conquest not relenting against the half-Demon's assault.

 **"Out of all the people I've had the displeasure of running into, you're easily the most** **aggravating."** Tiamat growled out as she locked her knife against Dagda's shortsword. **"Will it kill you to just drop dead already!?"**

"Sorry lass. As an Ulsterian, I gotta live out until I find someone that can actually kill my arse with respect." Dagda remarked. "Simply 'dropping dead' ain't gonna cut it, so fuck it the right off, ya cheeky brat."

[Fragarach] then begins to glow in a bluish-green light.

"[Counter Magic: Blowback Counter]!"

Dagda shoves his blade lock against Tiamat, sending her flying off of the ground and creating distance between himself and the Hellhound.

"NOW DO IT, YA EYEPATCHED BASTARD!" Dagda yelled out.

"I don't take orders from a Demon!" Dragunov shouted back as he lined up his shot towards the suspended Tiamat. "I'll do it myself!"

He then lets loose his arrow as it began to glow bright-yellow.

"[Spatial & Lightning Rune Magic: _Sagitta Iecit_ - _Fulmen_ ]!"

The arrow turns into a snaking bolt of lightning, before piercing through Tiamat's stomach and pinning her into the stone walls of the caverns.

However, the two aren't convinced that she isn't dead yet.

After all, she's no willing channeler for the Demons. She was, in fact, a pure-blooded Demon, through and through. A mere shell of a deceased human, no longer harboring any trace of mana, allowing the Demon to play by its own rules rather that of this world's.

When mana leaves the body, the physical composition of the human body begins to erode and deteriorate, allowing the decomposers to work their purpose and break down all physical matter into reusable matter such as soil and carbon.

But in the Demon's rule, there is no end to their form. There is no such thing as "the end". A never-ending cycle of death and rebirth, each "death" just coding another immunity into the Demon's biology, allowing them to forever adapt to their surroundings, getting stronger with each failure, never dying the same way twice.

Tiamat has died just recently from "electrocution". But "profuse bleeding", "puncture wound to vital organ", and "blunt trauma", however...

... Were the things that she's _already_ adapted to.

With that revelation in mind, the two see the Hellhound pull the arrow that has pierced through her gut and into the stone wall behind her, spilling our tar-colored blood from her wound as it closes into a black-colored scar mark.

 **"... Try again."**

"As much as it takes, foul Demon!" Dragunov roared out with hardened resolve.

"Imma make you pay out what you owe, lassie." Dagda remarked unflinchingly. "I have all the time in the world to do so."

The three resume their fight, now each side driven to kill the other, regardless of method or means, only the outcome being their own self-justified end.

* * *

 _ **At the Cavern Corridors...**_

* * *

"Keep running!" Kalashnikov barked out as she and the other Magic Knights ran towards the cave's exit.

Over her shoulder was a dull-lavender-haired young man with a black robe draped around his shoulders. The torture inflicted upon him cost him a right eye, two pinkies and a right thumb, a broken nose, and several missing teeth.

The girl in Cole's arms was way worse off; a missing ear, a missing right eye, and several molars either chipped into pieces or come off completely. Worse, her body looked sickly pale, from all the trauma, both physical and psychological, as if a gentle breeze would destroy her.

... The man in the royal blue robes wasn't exaggerating when he said that her body was extremely fragile. In hindsight, she shouldn't have tossed her to him like a sack of charcoal, but desperate times.

Kalashnikov can only hope that the healers in this kingdom were skilled.

"We're almost at the exit!" Jericho shouted out. "Everyone, just hold on-"

 **"Too laave."**

From the cavern's ceilings, came crashing down was Romulus, [Bident] in hand, licking his fang-ridden maw in hunger.

 **"You should know..."** Romulus grinned out. **"... We Hellhounds don't let our prey escape."**

"Please tell me that you got kids out." Cole begged.

 **"Oh we could've just simply set upon them and devoured them whole."** Romulus pointed out condescendingly. **"But letting them prosper and multiply for later? Plenty of fish in the water, I assure you."**

"Typical Demon..." Kalashnikov grumbled out as she put down Gauche and drew her blades. "... Always so assured in your prospects."

 **"Unlike you humans, we happen to know our rightful place."** Romulus retorted. **"We've all earned our clout through pure merit, whereas you maggots were born with a silver spoon dribbling in your mouths. Well, most of you, anyway. So far, the only one seems to be from a humble background through rich scent of earth coursing through her, but the lot of you reek of the sheen of yul and putrid perfumes. Just being near you cockroaches makes me want to vomit out of sheer disgust, but our fair lady would scold us if we waste food."**

Behind the group, Masquerade's whole body trembles in rage upon hearing the Hellhound's remark.

"... So that's all Papillon were to you?" Masquerade remarked. "... Just _food_!?"

 **"Like pigs to _bacon_ , you bitch."**

The facade of of the masked Blue Rose Knight tranquil fury _shatters_.

"YOU BASTARD!" Masquerade roared out as she put on another mask, a blank chrome-silver visage.

The silver mask plants onto her face, and grants her an enormous boost in power.

 **"[MASK MAGIC: SILVER STRIDER]!"** Masquerade roared out as she was now transformed into a blank humanoid figure with anatomical details, completely chrome-silver from head to toe. **"NOW FREEZE!"**

From her hands, a massive vortex of silver snow expelled out of her palm, rushing towards Romulus.

The Hellhound dodges out of the way, only for Masquerade herself to enter the vortex and propel herself towards the Hellhound on a snowboard-like construct.

 **"YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU AND YOUR SO-CALLED 'FAMILY' DID TO MY FREIND!"** Masquerade roared out through her blank mask. **"DIE FOR YOUR SINS, YOU DEMON!"**

An explosion of cold, silver air bursts from the epicenter of Masquerade's impact, sending out an ejection of frost-laced shockwave across the whole cavern's chamber.

"... Did she get him?" Cole asked out loud.

"Hold your breath, Magic Knight." Kalashnikov pointed out. "Demons are and will be Demons. They're stupidly hard to kill even just _once_."

"Wait." Jericho remarked. " _Once_?"

 **"You got one thing wrong, maggot."**

From the fading snow-laced screen of opaque fog, Romulus held up the Blue Rose Knight by her neck with his clawed hands.

 **"We Demons cannot be killed to begin with. We simply reincarnate from the Ninth Layer, and our lady's [Summon Magic] grants immediate access from the Ninth Layer's flesh pods."** Romulus boasted. **"So kill me as much you wish. I'll simply come back _stronger_ the next moment."**

Masquerade struggle to break from Romulus's grip. Even expanding ice with her [Silver Strider]'s [Ice Magic] between the Demon's fingers, she still couldn't pry herself free. The ice itself simply expanded around Romulus's unflinching fingers.

 **"And what 'sins' are you referring to?"** Romulus asked Masquerade. **"To 'sin' means to go against your own instincts, and our** **instincts scream that we eat. But don't fret, you haven't sinned, for you have simply sought to avenge your friend's death, so you won't be condemned to Hell. So instead, I'll send you to Heaven _personally_."**

The grip around Masquerade's neck tightens until a loud and audible *SNAP* sound was heard.

Masquerade's whole body falls limp, her head now torquing adjacent to her back, as if her whole neck was shattered.

The masked Magic Knight falls dead, and into the Hellhound's maw, devoured _whole_.

 **"... I thank for thy meal, for her despair was indeed** **delicious. Amen."**

Romulus then turns his head towards the remaining Magic Knights and Inquisitor.

 **"...Now then, what will you do, dear Inquisitor?"** Romulus taunted. **"What will you do after I just utterly wasted a small fry from a foreign kingdom?"**

"It matters not who've you killed and devoured, Demon." Kalashnikov bit out as her blades caught on fire. "I'll wipe you away from the face of this world like the blight you are!"

Romulus simply smiles.

 **"Then have at thee."**

Kalashnikov and Romulus charge towards each other.

 **"[Demonic Art:** **Cerberus Fang]."**

Romulus flashes forth towards the Inquisitor with fist stuck out forward.

"[Flight Magic: Heavenstride]!"

The Inquisitor then begins running on thin air, with the exact grace and precision as if she were on solid ground, causing the punch to miss and insert three craters into the stone walls of the cavern instead.

 **"So, you think you're the only one who can walk on air?"** Romulus remarked at the Inquisitor running on the air. **"[Demonic Art-Modified: Harpy Talon-Okypete]."**

Romulus's legs then tense and swell up before springing into himself into the air, then transitioning into jumping midair, as if he himself was also walking on air as well.

 **"No magic required, just one of the many perks of having a Demonic body."** Romulus boasted.

"It matters not! I still have the high ground!" Kalashnikov retorted. "[Flight & Fire Rune Magic: Phoenix Quills-Firestorm]!"

Several quills of blue flames flew towards the hopping Hellhound, which Romulus deflects all of them with his [Bident].

 **"Is that all?"** Romulus taunted. **"If so, allow me to retort; [Demonic Art-Modified: Hydra Barrage-Mushmahhu]."**

A blinding flurry of thrusts of his spear came swarming forth towards Kalashnikov, which the Inquisitor dodges and weaves around effortlessly.

 **"As expected of an Inquisitor."** Romulus faux-praised Kalashnikov as he continued his [Hydra Barrage-Mushmahhu]. **"You lot are a slippery one."**

"So says the slippery one." Kalashnikov spat back as she jumped from wall to wall, slowly gaining speed with each stride made.

The others outside of the fight's circumference, just stood and watched in awe.

"... Should we go help?" Sol remarked.

"Don't be stupid." Cole replied. "We'd be just getting in her way."

"He's right." Jericho pointed out. "I've fought one of them before, and it nearly ripped both of my arms off."

"... So... It seems... that we're unable to... escape until... he dies." Morrigan slurred out.

"No shit." Bastet remarked. "That bastard wasted Masquerade, and somehow, some random woman with two swords is keeping up with him."

"No traces of excess mana is emitted from her." Aion commented. "The way she's moving in the air, it's all her own physical dynamics. Her magic is simply lifting her off of the ground."

"So what do we do?" Sol asked. "Sneak out?"

All of them look at each other in befuddlement as each of them weigh their options.

On one hand, using the time bought by Kalashnikov to make their escape with the last two survivors is ideal, and the fact that Romulus himself was preoccupied with Kalashnikov to even acknowledge their presence is tempting.

On the other hand, Romulus himself could easily lure them into a false sense of security and do either of the following two: either multitask and begin picking them off one by one while they escape, with the two hostages being their priority, or simply spring another ambush at the final stretch before reaching the exit, in which will put extra burden on the Inquisitor, and will most likely get her inadvertently killed along with themselves.

The real risk here, were the unknown factors for the Clover Kingdom Magic Knights. For most of them, this was their first time dealing with a Demon. Even Jericho, who's at his second, was still walking on eggshells when it came to dealing with them, for the only thing he knew about these Demons?

One is the utter bane of anyone using magic (i.e., EVERYONE), the other wiped out the entirety of the Diamond Kingdom in _one day_. This one?

Simply a meat puppet that knows how to kill, but knows how to kill _efficiently_. Astaroth's skills were unrefined due to a lack of formal experience, where as Yama didn't even lift a finger while everyone else around him simply _crumpled_. This Hellhound was a _predator_ , through and through.

It doesn't fight, it _kills_.

From what little tidbits of the two's movements of the clash between the Inquisitor and the Hellhound, the two were executing killing blow after killing bow, each attack meant to instantly kill their intended target, and the only reason why the fight has gone on long as it has was that each of them were familiarizing with each other's combat patterns at a breakneck pace, each attack missed, an attack _learned_. Each variation of movement, from a single step to an array of strides, _instantly_ memorized.

Jericho can _barely_ sense Kalashnikov's Ki, only due to the fact that she was moving so fast that she was now effectively leaving behind _afterimages_. Romulus however, had no Ki, just like Astaroth.

He himself, just like the Fallen Angel, was merely a shell. A hollow vessel, void of the dynamics and workings of a living being, moving and shifting _solely_ on instinct.

Should they even take one step out of where they stood, they _will_ die. For should they even twitch, they will be devoured by the storm of adaptation, and will not adapt fast enough to even _hope_ to survive.

 **"You're a** **persistent one, Inquisitor."** Romulus remarked mid-flight, clashing once with Kalashnikov's blazing blades with his spear. **"I now understand why my younger siblings fear your kind."**

"I don't take compliments from a Demon like you!" Kalashnikov snapped as she clashed midair once more. "So put your vile words back in your mouth and keep it shut, you _czubek_!"

 **"Alright then, I'll stuff it with your corpse."** Romulus replied with a sneer. **"[Demonic Art-Modified: Ladon Flame-Charybdis]."**

Romulus's chest then swells and bloats up like a balloon as it sucks up the surrounding air like a vacuum, before expelling the collected air out of his body, causing the whole cavern to light up like the surface of the sun.

"OKAY, HOW THE HELL IS HE LIGHTING THE AIR ITSELF ON FIRE WITH JUST HIS BREATH!?" Cole cried out over the explosion.

 **"Surprised?"** Romulus remarked. **"Hell's** **essence turns all regular oxygen into combustable elements. All I need to do after I expel out Demonic Matter, I simply need to grind my teeth, and one spark so much as touches the tainted air... Well, I hope you like being finished _well-done_. My preference for human meat is raw, though."**

"Wait though..." Jericho pointed out at the completely-immaculate Inquisitor. "... How is she not burnt?"

He notices that something was jutting out of her mouth. Something that resembled an ornate-looking cigarette holder, but without the smoke, but a single red tassel.

Kalashnikov sucks in on her oral fixation before exhaling out a faint amber-yellow vapor.

 **"Ahh, so that's the rumored Anti-Demon measure."** Romulus commented. **"[Sacred Extract: Ambrosia], isn't it? Brewed from one of the Three Sages, _Merlin_ , the one holding the sacred knowledge of Heaven's fruit, [EVE] (Evangelic Vitalization Extract). By exposing your physical body to Heaven's matter, you've countered my Hell's exhausts, just as water would put out fire."**

Kalashnikov frowns upon his observation.

 **"Now now, neither we Hellhounds nor the Demons seek out such power."** Romulus reassured. **"For even us Demons don't attack Angels and their properties until [Armageddon] comes. But since you're a human and not an Angel, we don't have anything penalizing us from killing each other, so with that loophole established..."**

The two resume their fight, bouncing from wall to wall as they resume to clash midair.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Magic Knights continue watching as they collectively contemplate their shared bafflement.

"... So anyone know what they were talking about?" Cole pointed out.

"Just smile and wave, manservant." Jericho remarked. "Just smile and wave..."

Everyone else looks at the Black Bull.

"... You know... something... do you?" Morrigan pointed out.

Jericho lets out a frustrated sigh.

"I can't hide anything from you guys, can I?" Jericho sighed out.

"You make the tells that are way too obvious." Bastet dryly snarked out.

"Your heart rate has been steadily increasing ever since you've entered the cave with us." Aion pointed out. "... Do not underestimate me, Black Bull, you're not the only one educated in the art of Ki. I am born blind, and yet still a Magic Knight for about the past 10 years, you nit."

"That, and well, you're sweating out a whole lake." Sol remarked.

Jericho lets out another long sigh before slicking his face with his hand.

"... I swear, if the Wizard King mindwipes me after all this, I'm blaming all of you."

* * *

 ** _Outside..._**

* * *

"So let me get this straight..."

A plume of smoke was exhaled out of someone's mouth.

"There's some children-kidnapping cult holed up in there, using said children as sacrifices to summon, and correct me if I'm wrong, Demons." Yami pointed out. "And you sure that's the full report that my Black Bull who's currently in there gave it to you a few minutes back?"

"Are you not going to point out the fact that now there are two factions from the Spade who illegally crossed borders into the Clover Kingdom?" Charlotte remarked.

"Hey, not my fault that Dagda had other friends." Yami retorted. "Still, the whole situation is close to FUBAR, correct?"

"Yes sir." Jaqueline answered. "I managed to get a glimpse of what the Black Bull and the other two Spade Kingdom countrymen were fighting against. And from what I can tell, that thing had no mana and yet somehow it took three of them to simply take it down."

"As expected of a Black Bull, pathetic as always." Nozel remarked.

"That's rich coming from someone who lost roughly a few pounds around a half a month prior." Yami bit back. "You sure you should be in the front lines? I mean, surpass your limits and all, but do it after you recover."

"I have no need for your sympathy, assuming if you had any, foreigner." Nozel glared back.

"Keh keh keh!" Jack cackled out in excitement. "So tell me, pinky, are those cultists worth cutting up?"

Jaqueline sighs in resignation before answering.

"... If there's any solace, there will be no children hostages left to get in your way, Captain Jack." Jaqueline sighed out. "Just don't cause a cave in, we still have yet to contact the others that are still in there cleaning up-"

From the cavern entrances, the four Magic Knight Captains all heard an ear-piercing roar bellowing out of the depths, followed up by several explosions and tremors.

"... You said something about a cave-in?" Yami pointed out.

"Keh keh keh!" Jack cackled out as he manifested his [Death Scythes] on his forearms. "That's the bell for us to go in-"

Before the Green Mantis Captain can charge in first, a blustering gale of wind passes by them, which it then funnels into the cave's entry point.

"... Just who was that, and why does it have a massive surge of mana?" Nozel asked.

"... Son of a bitch."

Yami then hops onto his broom and flies into the cave at high speeds.

 _"That Ki from the earlier blur..."_ Yami thought. _"... Goddammit Yuno! You better not be trying anything stupid that can get you killed!"_

* * *

 _ **Back Inside...**_

* * *

 **"Ahahahaha!"** Romulus roared out in laughter. **"The more you resist, the more you'll be worthy of our lady's palate!"**

"I WILL END YOU EVEN IF IT KILLS ME, DEMON!" Kalashnikov roared back. "FOR THE PATREM INQUISITOR AND KING!"

The battle between the Demon and the Inquisitor continues, still paced in its blinding speed, barely visible to the naked and untrained eye, but an utter certainty that their attempts of reckless escape will be met with a quick and messy demise.

"This is getting really bad..." Jericho stated as he now resorted to giving both Adlai siblings first-aid. "... The Demon is nowhere close to being defeated."

"Tell us about it..." Cole remarked upon the behalf of everyone now being bestowed with the knowledge of Demons and their existence. "... You're saying that thing can be even defeated!?"

"If I recall correctly, you mentioned that one of them wiped out the entirety of the Diamond Kingdom singlehandedly." Aion pointed out. "The way you said it, you had no reason to lie. Your heartbeat was normally-paced, and not erratic that of a liar's."

"... Still doesn't change the fact that we're fucked, ain't it?" Sol bitterly pointed out. "Can't even step in without being rended into piecemeal, and all we can do is twiddle our thumbs and hope for the best on a stranger..."

"We're failures as Magic Knights..." Bastet grimaced.

The two clashing break off from their midair scuffle.

 **"I'd have to say, Inquisitor, for a human, you're quite a fighter."** Romulus gleefully pointed out. **"Hell, I'm actually starting to enjoy fighting you. Almost makes me want to eat you for myself!"**

"Cease your fraternizing." Kalashnikov retorted. "All Demons are nothing more than blight that must be purged from this world. It's what we Inquisitors have been training for since initiation..."

 **"Whoever trained you, they've done splendid work, for you have proven yourself to be not like the other fragile humans that dare encroach our territory. You and your kind are to be feared and respected amongst us Demons."** Romulus praised. **"You've more than earned my respect, Kalashnikov Turgenev. I will relish the flavor of your flesh, down to the last morsel and marrow, knowing that I bothered to even remember you."**

The Inquisitor crosses her swords before taking a stance with one pointed towards the Demon from her rear arm, the frontal also pointed towards him.

 **"... No more words then."** Romulus stated as he also took his stance after he tosses his [Bident] away, with his arms now raised up to his face, both white-knuckled and palms facing forward. **"Fine, let's end this hunt once and for all."**

The Magic Knights were frozen where they stood. All of them can literally taste the murderous intent radiating from the two fighters.

One was that of a righteous fury of a _thousand suns_.

The other was the bottomless hunger of a _world eater_.

And before the two choking presences, the Magic Knights were but _mewling mice_ in the face of _ravenous gods_.

The two then sprint towards each other, each ready to deliver their killing blow.

"[Flight & Fire Rune Magic: Phoenix Flight-Flare]!"

Kalashnikov then transforms into a phoenix wreathed in azure-blue flames as she flew towards the charging Hellhound like a _shooting star_ falling from the aether beyond the blue sky.

 **"DON'T HOLD BACK, MY LONG-AWAITED-NO, MY _DESTINED_ MAIN COURSE!"** Romulus roared out in joyous glee. **"[FINAL DEMONIC ART-VARIANT RESULT: TYPHON-GIGANTOMACHIA]!"** **  
**

Romulus then flings himself forward with enough force to leave behind a _sonic boom_ , springing off of the earth, leaving behind a massive crater where once he stood, propelling himself as a violent comet of pure muscle and violence.

The two titanic forces clash violently, emitting a singularity of pure inertia and physical dynamics that whoever even tried to step in, would have their physical bodily constitution reduced to that of a wet noodle's structural integrity in a _heartbeat_.

Before they knew it, the shockwave reaches its apex, causing a massive explosion of pure force that sends everyone flying off of their feet, _including_ Kalashnikov and Romulus.

Everyone was now flung into midair, Jericho catching both Gauche and Marie in his arms in order to cushion them from the hard landing that was inevitably coming, Bastet and Sol were flailing around before Cole caught the two of them while riding on his [Nimbus Platform], Morrigan whistled for her broom and caught Jericho and the Adlai siblings with her [Dark Calling] conjuring a black hand from her grimoire, Kalashnikov trying to recover from her badly-injured state, and Romulus laughing his heart out as he falls towards the ground.

 **"AHAHAHAHAHA!"** Romulus victoriously howled out in laughter. **"TRULY, YOU ARE A WORTHY HUNT! AND NOW, I SHALL CLAIM MY RIGHTFUL BOUNTY!"**

He lands on his feet before springing back up towards the injured Inquisitor.

 **"I THANK THY FOR THE MEAL I AM ABOUT TO PARTAKE!"** Romulus roared out as he opened his maw wide. **"THANK YOU FOR THE THRILL AND** **PLEASURE OF THE HUNT, DEAR KALASHNIKOV TURGENEV!"**

The gaping maw edged towards the Inquisitor.

 **"TIME TO FEAST-"**

*SHRUCK*

From Romulus's chest emerged a bright green blade of _wind_.

"... Yuno!?" Jericho gawked out at the winged youth.

"GO TO HELL! AND TAKE YOUR FRIENDS WITH YOU!"

Yuno's [Spirit of Zephyr] tears through Romulus's chest, with the youth bursting through the Hellhound's chest covered head to toe in tar-colored blood and viscera.

The mangled corpse of the Hellhound plops to the ground, and the youth catches the female Inquisitor as his body skidded across the stoney earth.

"... You okay?" Yuno asked the woman.

The braided woman than looks at Yuno with a slight glare.

"... So the _prince_ lived."

"Huh?"

Kalashnikov then faints from exhaustion on Yuno's chest.

"... What the hell was she talking about?" Yuno muttered to himself as he tried to get the woman off of him. "'Prince' of what?"

In front of him, the mangled corpse of the Hellhound lets out a slight scoff of _malicious_ bemusement.

 **"Peh..."** Romulus huffed. **"... You really don't know, do you?"**

Yuno then approaches closer towards the Hellhound.

"What do you mean, 'I don't really know'?" Yuno asked. "Just what do you mean!?"

Romulus lets out a hoarse laughter aimed towards the confused Yuno.

 **"... Ah, truly, 15 years is indeed a fleeting moment."** Romulus addressed to the youth. **"... A Grinberryall spawn lived though the bitter cold."**

"... Grinberryall!?" Yuno gawked. "What do you mean, that 'I lived'!? ANSWER ME!"

Romulus simply shoots a sneer towards the boy.

 **"... The _Morningstar_."** Romulus pointed towards Yuno's charm hung around his neck. **"... You know _nothing_ , boy."**

The Hellhound, with the last of his reserves of strength, snaps his finger, the snap echoing throughout the cavern depths, replied with numerous growls and howls of wolves.

... The Hellhounds has come for them.

"More Demons, then..." Yuno gritted out furiously as he caught a look of the badly-wounded Gauche and Marie, raising his already- _precipitous_ rage even further beyond, pushing him to the dredges of his sanity. "... First you hurt my friend, my elder Magic Knight, and an innocent child."

Yuno's body flares up with even more mana.

"PREPARE TO DIE, YOU FILTHS!" Yuno roared out in unrelenting fury. "EVERYONE, GET THE TWO OUT OF HERE! I'LL HOLD THEM OFF!"

Jericho wanted to protest, but doing so would simply insult his friend's resolve.

"... DON'T DIE, YOU HEAR!?" Jericho roared out. "I'LL BE BACK TO DRAG YOUR ASS, YOU HEAR!?"

"THEN HAUL ASS!" Yuno yelled back as he threw the braided woman to Jericho.

The remaining Magic Knights then make their getaway with the two siblings and an exausted Inquisitor, leaving Yuno behind with the encroaching brood, all of them hungry for fresh meat.

"... [Sylph]." Yuno spoke to the sprite. "... If I don't make it, run. This is my responsibility, not yours."

The [Sylph] shakes her head in adamant refusal.

"No Yuno." The [Sylph] replied. "I'm staying, period."

"No, I dragged you into this." Yuno stated. "If anyone else dies because of me, then how will I-"

[Sylph] shuts him up with a peck to his lips.

"... But I stayed by choice." The [Sylph] bluntly replied. "I stayed not because you found me, nor because of your mana, nor because of the Demons running about in this world."

[Sylph] simply smiles.

"I did it because I _love_ you, dummy." [Sylph] answered with a bright smile. "From the moment we met, you and I were destined for each other. And for Pete's sake, when a girl's asking you out, the least you can do is ask for her name!"

Yuno now knew. There were now people who cared for him as much as Asta did.

Both he and his brother shared the same dream; of becoming the next Wizard King, but upon the day when he died and a Demon took over his corpse, all love he had in his heart slowly began to crumble away like gravel.

For Yuno, the only love he had left was for his dream, but what he failed to realize was that there were other people that loved as much as Asta did.

The Hage Church's orphans, Sister Lily, Father Orsi, Juniper Hage, Jericho Platnia, the Black Bulls, and the people that were still alive to this day.

Love wasn't dead for Yuno. He simply neglected it. He rejected love from everyone else that wasn't Asta.

... He never loved himself. He never forgave himself. He never moved past from himself.

No more. No more he'll stay as the loveless shell of a man only moved by his own dreams.

He'll fight, all in the name of the love that he'd initially rejected.

Yuno lets out a small chuckle after breaking though his mental threshold that was holding him back for so long.

"... Yeah." Yuno muttered out. "Guess I was being an asshole..."

"You can be so stubborn sometimes..." [Sylph] remarked. "... Just shows what I know about men in general. Then again, the other [Elemental Spirits] called out that I have horrible taste in men."

"To be fair, I was pretty horrible back then." Yuno sheepishly pointed out. "Sorry you had to see me like that, but also thanks for sticking around as long as you did."

"Well, you're still a blockhead, but that's what I love you about the most." The [Sylph] remarked. "Now that we're a pair, ask me for my name! That's an order!"

"... Alright then." Yuno remarked with a slight smile. "What's your real name, [Sylph]?"

[Sylph] giggles in response, finally ecstatic from getting Yuno's full attention.

"... I'm _Titania_." The [Sylph] answered. "And from now on, you'll be my new _Oberon_!"

"... Titania." Yuno spoke out her name. "That's a nice name."

Titania's whole face then turns cherry-red before squeeing out in joy.

"OMIGOD, HE SAID MY NAME!" Titania squealed out ecstatically. "IT'S OFFICIAL, WE'RE A THING!"

From the reforged bond between the Magic Knight and the [Wind Spirit: Sylph], a new spell was grafted into Yuno's grimoire.

"... So this is it, huh?" Yuno remarked as the Hellhounds encroached upon them.

"That's the power of our love!" Titania remarked. "Now let's show these creeps who really in charge!"

"Right!"

The winds begin to stir around them as the Hellhounds now all swarmed towards Yuno and Titania.

 **"** **Geav tak!"** A [Zealot]-class Hellhound barked out. **"Geav tak! Geav tak! Geav tak! Geav tak! Geav tak! Geav tak!"**

 **"Behold..."** Yuno's voice echoed in power.

The Hellhounds continue to swarm towards them.

 **"All the pain and hopes that we carry..."** Titania chanted. **"The fruition of our love..."**

The caverns flash with a blinding light, as the Hellhounds exploded out of the singularity formed around Yuno and Titania.

 **"... OUR TRUE STRENGTH!"**

From the vortex of wind emerged Yuno, now clad in a flowing green regal regalia befitting of a king, a complete crown of wind orbiting his head, four blade-like wings sprouting out of his back, and a flowing cape of verdant wind that surpasses the most finely-woven of silk for how smooth and fluid it danced around the wind. The youth's hair was now that of the flowing spring breeze, verdant and flowing like the blades of freshly-grown grass in the spring solace, and his eyes were that of an emperor's gaze, dignified, freed of pain and hatred, ready to look towards the future with unclouded eyes.

 **"[Wind Spirit Magic: True Spirit Dive-Reincarnation Romance, Oberon]!"**

The Hellhounds scramble back up to their feet, hastily resuming their assault on Yuno.

 **"Drepa naj-ri!"** The Hellhound bellowed out. **"Drepa naj-ri!"**

Yuno then readies his sword made of wind, with the blade growing even bigger and longer.

 **"[Wind Spirit Magic: True Spirit of Zephyr-Caledwlch]!"**

With the single swing of his blade, the Hellhounds were scattered across the cavern floors.

The surviving Hellhound scramble back to their feet, resuming their attack on Yuno.

 **"NOT YET!"** Yuno roared out. **"I'M NOT DONE YET!"**

The Hellhounds all pounce towards him, teeth bared and maws drooling.

 **"[Wind Spirit Magic: True Spirit Storm-Aether]!"**

A raging cyclone of wind envelops Yuno, shredding the Hellhounds that came too close to him into piecemeal.

Even as the Hellhounds were being overwhelmed by the sheer power of Yuno's [Reincarnation Romance, Oberon], not one of the even retreated, instead opting to keep overwhelming him through sheer numbers.

Every single Hellhound, from the ones roaming the caverns, to the ones scouting the surrounding forest, all of them, upon sensing their brethren in turmoil, all concentrated towards Yuno, their greatest current threat.

 **"NOT YET! NOT YET!"** Yuno roared out. **"YOU ALL WANT A PIECE OF ME!? THEN COME GET IT, YOU MONGRELS!"**

One by one, each Hellhound was cut down, the repetition continuing, as both Yuno and the Hellhounds fought to their last.

Eventually, the last Hellhound, a [Zealot]-class with a bardiche, was slain.

 **"...** **Hah... hah... We did it Titania."** Yuno heaved out in exhaustion, planting [Excalibur] onto the bloodstained earth to hold himself up. **"We actually killed them. We actually killed... Demons-"**

 **"Don'av counav par iav."**

Yuno was then grabbed from behind, raised up into the air, before being slammed headfirst into the stoney earth via _brainbuster_.

[Reincarnation Romance, Oberon] was then dispelled upon impact, separating Yuno from Titania's influence.

Standing above him was Romulus, now completely healed, as if the last twenty minutes of combat meant _nothing_.

"YUNO!" Titania cried out. "YUNO! OH GOD, PLEASE! DON'T DIE!"

In fading moments of consciousness, Yuno mutters out a few words.

"... Why?"

Romulus simply smiles.

 **"Guess you missed the memo."** Romulus sneered. **"We Demons cannot die. And thanks to my [Bident], I was able to collect enough blood to cast [Summon Magic: Reinstatement-Messiah] unto myself in case if I fell in battle, allowing me to return from the Ninth Layer immediately."**

Upon hearing the revelation that the Demons were practically _immortal_ , all hope in Yuno's heart was completely destroyed. As the Hellhound picks Yuno up by his head, he then tosses him up into the air before winding back both of his fists.

"YUNO!" Titania cried out as she cast her [Wind Creation Magic: Storm Mail] around Yuno's body to protect him the best of her abilities.

 **"Uukeleukuk."** Romulus sneered as he thrusted both of his hands forth towards the falling youth. **"[Demonic Art-Modified:** **Cerberus Fang-Orthrus]."**

Both of his fists gently tap on Yuno's ribs, right before they coil and ball into white-knuckled fists that both ram into the youth's chest, embedding _six_ holes into his ribs, fracturing his entire set of ribcages as he was flung into a stone wall, knocking all the air out of his body upon impact.

"YUNNNNOOOOOO!" Titania cried out as she rushed towards the gravely-injured youth.

Titania flies around him in panic, trying to see if he was okay, in faint hopes that he'd survived.

 **"It matters not what you do, insect."** Romulus remarked as he retrieved his [Bident]. **"The Grinberryall spawn will die regardless. All you did was simply prolong his suffering."**

"... Please don't leave me, Yuno." Titania sobbed out as she laid against his broken body. "Don't leave me Yuno. I promise that we'll be together..."

 **"And since I'm a nice person, I'll let you watch as I take his life with my own hands."** Romulus faux-reassured. **"... With a single blow."**

Romulus then winds back his spear, staring down onto the downed youth as Titania stood in its way in a futile attempt to shield.

 **"NOW I SHALL PURGE THE ACCURSED BLOODLINE FROM THIS WORLD, AND CLAIM OUR VENGEANCE!"** Romulus loudly declared. **"FAREWELL, GRINBERRYALL SPAWN!"**

Titania shuts her eyes as the dual-pronged lance came down towards them, but then...

 ***CLANG***

... Upon opening her eyes, she then sees a ruffian-like man wielding a sword blocking the spear's trajectory.

"Hey small person." Yami spoke to Titania. "Let me guess, the oversized mutt behind me did this to him?"

Titania nods.

Yami cracks a smile.

"Then it's official, this is also my problem." Yami stated.

 **"So another interloper..."** Romulus remarked with a barely-contained rage and disdain. **"... Are the** **denizens of this kingdom of sheep so eager to die?"**

"Hey, I ain't originally from here." Yami pointed out. "But he's one of my guys, so yeah, call me suicidal."

Yami's katana then begins to emit an explosion of a dark aura.

"So do me a favor, and _fuck_ off."

Yami's sword arm then tenses up as he swung his blade to parry off the [Bident].

"[Dark Magic: _Tōzoku no Ikari_ ] (Purgatorial Wrath/盗賊の怒り)!" Yami roared out as the [Messiah]-class Hellhound was sent skidding back.

Before Romulus can reacts, another array of slashes came raining down toward the Hellhound.

"Keh keh keh!" A familiar laughter cackled out. "You got a lot of balls to start this fight without us, you damn bull!"

"Hey, first come, first serve, beansprout." Yami remarked at Jack the Ripper.

"No shit!" Jack remarked. "Look at your damn brat! He got fucking wasted! So that means that the mutt over there is worth cutting up-"

Romulus then leaps towards Jack with his claws out, only to be bound by multiple tendrils of thorn and chrome-silver liquid metal.

"Eyes on the battlefield, Jack." Nozel stated coldly. "Talk later, there's an enemy to kill."

"Of all the stupid things you've done, this is easily the most stupid." Charlotte remarked at Yami.

"Admit it, prickly princess, you'd done the same if the same thing happened to your girls." Yami pointed out. "Hell, that's why you're even here to begin with, right?"

Charlotte turns her head away from Yami.

"... Wow, you're rude." Yami remarked.

"YUNO!" Jericho cried out as he ran towards the downed Yuno accompanied by several other mages. "Someone get a stretcher, hurry!"

The mages then pick up the boy to put him on a stretcher and evacuate him from the caves.

"Well that's one thing down..." Yami remarked as he readies his focus towards Romulus. "Now nothing is getting in our way."

"Agreed." Nozel remarked as he extended his sole left arm. "[Mercury Creation Magic: Silver Wing Lancer]."

The liquid metal then transforms into a massive spear with an eagle motif, spinning before the lance rushes towards the Hellhound's head.

 **"... DON'T FUCK WITH ME!"**

Romulus than bites down on the spear, while breathing out his [Ladon Flame] to melt the spear back into liquid form before breaking out of his bindings.

 **"First I am denied of a worthy prey, than I am denied of** **vengeance against the accursed bloodline..."** Romulus growled out. **"... And now, mere interlopers are getting in my way."**

He then kicks the ground staked with his [Bident], flicking it up to his grasp.

 **"... I am now at a complete loss of patience with you lot."** Romulus coldly declared. **"I won't even bother remembering you once I completely destroy you all."**

Yami's eyes turned into a focused glare of concentrated fury, a calm before the storm, as his Ki began to slowly expand out of his body, emitting an intense aura around him.

"And I you too, _mongrel_."

* * *

 _ **Deeper in the depths...**_

* * *

"ORRAAA!"

Dagda then drives his fist into Tiamat's cheek, forcing her to spit out molars from her gums. She then springs back up to her feet and thrusts her dagger towards Dagda's throat, which the latter dodged by backflipping away from her before springing back towards her, snatches her by her collar, and rams his head against her nose, crushing it into her face.

Dragunov fires an arrow towards the two, Dagda kicks her away and the arrow pierces her throat.

"OI! WATCH WHERE YA FUCKIN' AIM!" Dagda hollered out.

"No promises, halfling." Dragunov dispassionately remarked as he fired another arrow.

Tiamat rips the arrow out of her neck and lunges forth towards the bickering two while trailing tar-like blood in her path.

 **"DIE! DIE! DIIIIEEEEEEE!"** Tiamat hatefully screeched out. **"DIE LIKE YOU SHOULD'VE FIFTEEN YEARS AGO!"**

"Sorry, don't plan to." Dagda replied. "Got a tavern to run."

"I don't take requests, especially from Demons." Dragunov retorted. "SO YOU DIE INSTEAD!"

He pulls out another arrow, this time, one glowing in a reddish-orange color.

"[Spatial & Combustion Rune Magic: _Sagitta Dolum_ - _Longinquus_ ]!"

Dragunov fires the glowing arrow towards Tiamat as Dagda tilts his head out of the way, hitting Tiamat right between her eyes.

The Hellhound keels back from the impact, right before pushing herself back forwards.

 **"...** **Pft, you think a single arrow to my skull's enough to kill me?"** Tiamat taunted.

"I only need the one."

Dragunov then snaps his fingers, and the arrow explodes.

... A puft of black hair was sent flying off from the explosion.

"... A _wig_?" Dragunov exclaimed. "... So that Demon was-"

"We got fuckin' duped, boyo." Dagda remarked. "Tiamat's _not_ here."

From the smoke, a shrill laughter was heard. As the plumage disperses, a white-haired Hellhound with a black spade running down the center of her front bangs.

"... Yep, that's not her." Dagda remarked. "Tiamat had jet black hair, and I just realized that she's a Demon. It takes more than 15 years to get a growth spurt, but then I just realized that she's no ordinary Adaptor."

 **"That's right, midget."** The fake Tiamat sneered out. **"Mother is not here. In fact, she's far, far away from here. I simply played mother's guise to carry out our plan."**

"WHAT PLAN!?" Dragunov roared out as he pulled back another arrow. "ANSWER ME, YOU _SUKA_!"

The Hellhound lets out another laughter before answering.

 **"Picture this..."** The fake Tiamat pointed out. **"Imagine a group of children being rescued from their captors, and among them, there's a _snake_ that wears the hide of the rat."**

Both Dagda's and Dragunov's eyes widen.

"... Oh shite." Dagda gasped out. "We need to bounce, boyo-"

 **"TOO LAAVE!"**

The Hellhound then makes a gagging sound, before revealing a black apple with two cross-outs for eyes and a stitched-up crease for a smile.

"An ADAM!" Dragunov pointed out. "RUN!"

The fake Tiamat crushes the apple between her fangs, emitting out black sparks and lightning from her body, contorting and transforming into a titanic humanoid dog-like creature, sprouting two additional heads and a massive serpent as its tail. The heads were a twisted amalgamation of a human woman's and a canine's visage, all six eyes now glowing blood-red, all three sets of jaws drooling out tar from their array of sword-like fangs, and the serpent's head on the tail stretches its maw open, revealing a red-haired human woman with pale-white skin and pitch-black eyes, carrying a bow and a quill full of poisoned arrows.

 **"YOU NOW FACE** **SEMIRAMIS, [MESSIAH]-CLASS HELLHOUND, AND LOYAL DAUGHTER OF TIAMAT, THE PRINCE OF CONQUEST!"** The now-revealed Semiramis spoke out with all three of her heads in perfect unison. **"I SHALL STRIKE YOU DOWN, SO THAT WE HELLHOUNDS MAY PROSPER! IN THE NAME OF APOCRYPHA, THE DEMON KING, I SHALL BRING VICTORY UPON MY CLAN!"**

The three-headed dog Demon then chases after the two running Inquisitor and bartender, crashing through several cavern walls and ramming through the whole cave's interior support, as the whole system begins to come down upon their heads.

On their way, the find themselves in another standoff between four Magic Knight Captains and a spear-wielding Hellhound.

"OI YOU BASTARDS, GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY!" Dagda roared out.

The spear-wielding Hellhound jumps away from the confrontation, and hops onto the giant three-headed Demon's back.

"What the hell's going on-"

"JUST SHUT UP AND RUN!"

The rest of the Captains followed the Inquisitor and bartender as the group ran from the rampaging Demon.

"THE EXIT'S UP AHEAD!" Dagda cried out. "HURRY!"

In their last spurt, all of them jumped towards the exit, with the cave collapsing behind them into a mountain of rubble.

"... Okay, what the hell was all that-"

Dragunov and Dagda stood back and kept running away.

"WHAT ARE YE BASTARDS GAWKIN' FOR!?" Dagda cried out. "RUN!"

The rock pile behind the Captains rumbled, revealing the three-headed Hellhound and Romulus emerging from the rubble.

"HQ! THIS IS NOZEL SILVA OF THE SILVER EAGLES! WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF A RETREAT OF AN UNKNOWN FOE! HQ, DO YOU COPY, OVER!?" Nozel cried out into the [Magical Communication Device].

All he received was static.

"What the hell's going on?" Charlotte cried out. "Am I hearing static!?"

"Communications are down for some reason." Nozel stated. "Until we know what's going on, we're going to have-where's Jack?"

"KEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!"

From the treetops, Jack the Ripper was facing down the three-headed Hellhound and Romulus.

"I AIN'T GETTING BLUEBALLED JUST BECAUSE OF A CAVE-IN!" Jack stated. "FIGHT ME, YOU MANGY MUTTS!"

He jumps into the air with his [Death Scythes] manifested on his forearms.

"[Severing Magic: Death Scythes-"

An arrow fires in Jack's direction, catching him into a portal, and landing into Dagda's arms.

"WHAT THE HELL, MAN!?" Jack cried out.

"ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID!?" Dragunov cried out. "YOU'RE FACING A DEMON AFTER IF CONSUMED AN _ADAM_!?"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS ADAM!?" Jack asked in his screeching tone.

"Advanced Demonic Ascension Morsel. Called ADAM for short." Dragunov informed. "Demons love eating the fruit grown the branches of Qilphoth, with each of them containing a piece of the Demon King's power, allowing it to unleash their [Apocrypal From]. The only thing we can do when go into these forms is wait them out."

"How long then!?" Yami asked.

Dragunov sucks in air before answering before shooting up a bright red flare up into the with one of his arrows.

"... Ten minutes."

All the Magic Knight Captains go completely silent upon hearing those words as the roars of the Demons bellowed behind them and flare above crackled in the air.

"TEN MINUTES!?" Charlotte cried out. "AT THIS RATE, THE ENTIRETY OF NEAN WILL BE RAZED TO THE GROUND!"

"SO SHUT UP AND KEEP RUNNING!" Dagda roared out. "AWAY FROM THE VILLAGE! INTO THE FOREST!"

All of them continue to run away from the unleashed giant three-headed Demon, with Romulus still on top of Semiramis.

Now normally, Romulus himself would join in on the chase, but as soon as he noticed the rising plume of smoke coming from the village adjacent to the forest that they're in, he smiles.

 **"... So the mission has been completed."** Romulus spoke to himself as he slowly sat down cross-legged on Semiramis's back, satisfied that their mother had completed her own part of the mission. **"... Alright, I'll simply let the things play out as is then."**

* * *

 **Nean, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom**

* * *

It all happened so fast.

Throughout the whole town was now set ablaze, chaos running amok as Hellhounds were chasing down civilians through the streets, the bipedal [Zealot]-class Hellhounds breaking into homes and slaughtering the families that live there like sheep, the numerous amount of people slaughtered were wrung out dry, the spilled exsanguination bringing forth even more Hellhounds back from the Ninth Layer, [Treachery].

The town's [Magical Communications Beacon] was toppled to the ground, with their collective efforts being the root cause of its destruction.

From the pool of blood emerged a clawed arm, pulling itself out of the red and reforming itself into a whole, a white-furred bipedal Hellhound with a black spade running down to his snout.

Before him was a short, ash-haired girl with small fox ears and tail being in similar color, jagged dagger in one hand, a patchwork grimoire bearing two opposing spades in another, emitting a pale blackish-white aura.

 **"Welcome back, Sargon."** The little girl addressed the resurrected Hellhound.

 **"Yes..."** Sargon growled out. **"... Mother."**

The other Hellhounds that climbed out of the blood pools began clamoring and swarming towards their minisucle mother.

Their true mother. The _true_ Tiamat.

 **Name: [Tiamat]**

 **Rank: [Prince of Conquest]**

 **Magic: [Summon Magic]**

 **Sin: [Obsessiveness]**

 **"We now have bigger things to worry about."** Tiamat dispassionately remarked. **"To think that these vermin were smart enough to put the wounded separate from the rescued. Not that it matters, as long as I get my revenge."**

Tiamat and her pack begin to move towards the sick area, where the wounded or injured hostages and Magic Knights were being treated at. Along the way, several mages and other Magic Knights made their defensive line in order to stop Tiamat's horde.

 **"Mother..."** Sargon snarled out. **"Your orders?"**

 **"Kill them all."** Tiamat ordered. **"But the Grinberryall spawn is mine."**

The Hellhounds then begin to charge towards the mages and the Magic Knights.

"Fire! Fire! Fire!"

The mages and the Magic Knights all fired towards the coming swarm of Hellhound coming their way. Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind were slung towards the horde, but there were too many of them. There were too many to kill. The Magic Knights were simply sand being engulfed by the coming wave that were about to crash against them.

And crashed the Hellhounds did. Fang and claw tearing through bone and flesh like hot knife through butter, mages being ripped apart and devoured piecemeal, screams and cries of agony and fear echoed and blared throughout the rising morning dawn.

Tiamat herself simply lopped off a limb or two that simply got in her way, not even bothering to even consider listening to their yelps of pain, for they were devoured like the rest.

She slowly makes her way to one of the tents containing the injured children and one Magic Knight.

... The accursed Grinberryall spawn. Lying on one of the cots near the end of the tent.

To hype herself up to exact her revenge, she stabbed one of the feverish children in the chest four times, slashed a girl's throat open, and drover her fist through a boy's head, piercing through the pillow that he was laid on.

Now she's standing before the accursed spawn of the family that she owed her suffering to.

The ones that accepted the accursed Dark Triad in the first place. The ones who just simply hung her out to dry as mere filler for the populace. The boy who was the cause of all of her suffering for the past 15 years.

She then recalls ripping the father's throat out of his neck with her teeth, then the time when she broke every single bones of the mother as she defiled her with her dagger.

 ** _"... How should the boy die?"_ **Tiamat pondered. **_"Should I kill him and be done with it, just like I promised myself, or should I eat him from the leg up, so that he can feel the agony and fear as his life slowly fades away?"_**

She then saw a sprite carrying one of the chrome scalpel blades from the tray near the boy's bed.

"Y-You're not hurting Yuno-"

Tiamat simply flicks the annoyance away from her like the bug she saw her as.

From the squeak that the little insect had made, Tiamat sees the boy slowly opening his eyes.

 **"I know..."** Tiamat grinned as she raised her dagger. **"... I'll be the last thing you'll ever see before you DIE!"**

Before she can bring the dagger down, she then feels the dagger's grip begin to _vibrate_.

 **"... No."** Tiamat whispered out in _horror_. **"NO! NO, IT CAN'T BE! ALL THE WAY HERE!?"**

Without hesitation, she bolts out of the tent, howls for retreat, and evacuate the village before _he_ arrives.

... Before the Demon Slayer, the _Patrem_ _Inquisitor_ , arrives.

* * *

 **Nean Outskirts, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom**

* * *

"DON'T STOP RUNNING!" Dragunov cried out. "IF YOU STOP, THEN YOU'RE DEAD!"

"Well, you heard the man." Yami remarked. "Time to surpass my limits!"

Yami then begins picking up speed, running just ahead of Nozel and Charlotte.

"I swear, foreigner." Nozel sighed out. "Of all things you make me do..."

"LET ME FIGHT! LET ME FIGHT!" Jack screeched and flailed out in Dagda's arms. "I AIN'T MISSING A CHANCE TO CUT UP A DEMON!"

"Trust me boyo, not in a million years." Dagda remarked. "They'll eat ya up and shite you out in a minute."

"Ugh... men." Charlotte sighed in disappointment.

Behind them, the fake Tiamat, Semiramis, were still rampaging though the trees, all three of its maws and fangs chomping and biting through the foliage with brutal zeal, and Romulus, sitting on her back, watching as the carnage unfolding.

 **"So, the maggots continue to crawl."** Romulus bemusingly remarked. **"No matter, we Hellhounds will never let our prey get away-"**

 _ **ROMULUS! SEMIRAMIS! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU RIGHT NOW!?**_

Their mother's voice screeched inside their heads.

 **"We are at the forest at the outskirts of the town."** Romulus stated.

 ** _GET OUT OF THERE! THE DEMON SLAYER HIMSELF IS COMING-_**

A massive beam of blue light shoots past both of the Hellhounds, causing the two of them to stop in their tracks.

 **"... Oh, son of a taint."**

The others stop upon seeing the flash of blue light arc by above their heads.

"What the hell was that!?" Yami asked. "Just what kind magic was that?"

Before anyone can speak, numerous people clad in full suits of silver plate armor with white capes draped over their shoulder and backs, each carrying a handheld ballista-like weapon on one hand and a massive tower shield with a four-pointed cross emblem on its center of the bulwark in their other hand, around their waists hung cylinders of blue crystals along with a mace emblazoned with a colored gem.

"Umm... who are these guys?" Yami asked Dragunov while pointing at the armored men. "Are they with you?"

"... Just what in the name of Sephira are the 7th Thaumaturge Division doing here?" Dragunov asked. "I mean, glad you're all here and all, but where's my detachment!? The flare was for them!"

 **"We've received reports that the scouting mission has** **escalated to an extermination of a Hellhound infestation."** One of the Thaumaturges answered through his helmet. **"Inquisitor Dragunov Smirnov, the Patrem Inquisitor has come in person and would like to see you himself. Please head to the encampment at the rear, ASAP."**

The Thaumaturges then aim their ballistas towards the Hellhound's direction.

 **"READY!?"**

The tips of their weapons then begin to glow with the surrounding mana concentrated into projectiles.

 **"AIM!"**

All of the Thaumaturges slam their shields to the ground, with sounds of stakes nailing into the earth coming from the bottom of their shields.

"OI YOU SHITES!" Dagda cried out as he dragged Yami and Jack in his hands with [Fragarach] clasped between his teeth. "GET BEHIND SOMETHING IF YOU DON'T WANNA DIE!"

"Wait, what-"

 **"FIRE!"**

The Thaumaturges all fire their magic projectiles towards the Hellhound's direction, with both Nozel and Charlotte being sent flying off of their feet from the sheer force and volume of fire coming from the Thaumaturge's weapons.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" Yami cried out as he covered his ears to shield his eardrums from the sound of the consecutive fire from the Thaumaturges.

"[Firebolt M3]s!" Dragunov answered. "Magic weapons that use the surrounding mana to create projectiles and fires with enough force to level entire forests!"

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Charlotte cried out as she scrambled toward where Yami, Jack, Dagda, and Dragunov were at. "JUST WHY THIS MUCH FIREPOWER!?"

"WHEN IT COMES TO HUNTING DEMONS, YOU SPARE NO FIREPOWER AVAILABLE!" Dragunov cried out. "THIS IS NO LONGER A SCOUTING MISSION! THIS IS AN EXECUTION!"

"Yeah, you Avalonians love overkill." Dagda sighed out. "... I swear, you bastards nearly destroyed my tavern in a crossfire ten months back."

Nozel simply grumbles as he tries to protect his eardrums from the deafening fire of the [Firebolt M3]s.

 **"RELOADING!"** One of the Thaumaturges cried out. **"VANGUARDS! ADVANCE!"**

A third of the Thaumaturges leave their shields and [Firebolt M3]s behind and pull out their maces, the handles telescoping outwards, the heads expanding into more threatening silhouettes.

 **"FOR THE PATREM AND KING! UURRRAAAA!"**

The armored Thaumaturges then charge towards the Hellhound, with Romulus meeting to their challenge.

 **"SO WHO WANTS TO DIE FIRST!?"** Romulus roared out as he parries one of the maces with grace before thrusting his lance into the helmet's gaps on the visor, before all of the Thaumaturge's blood was siphoned out of his body.

 **"DO NOT FALTER!"** Another Thaumaturge roared out as he charged towards Romulus. **"KILL THE DEMON! AVENGE YOUR BATTLE BRETHREN!"**

The mace lights on fire as it struck against Romulus's head, but not long after, he himself punched through the plate armor, making a huge dent that punctured into the Thaumaturge's gut.

 **"... I WILL... I WILL DIE WITH MY HANDS AROUND YOUR THROAT-"**

The Thaumaturge's throat was then pierced with Romulus's [Bident] before he himself was sucked dry.

 **"RELOADING COMPLETE!"**

 **"FIRING!"**

The Thaumaturges resuming putting fire on the massive Hellhound in a deafening chorus of sustained fire that tore through tress before making it to

"So what now?" Charlotte asked as the Thaumaturges continued to hold off the Hellhound.

"Well, I for one recommend you all get the hell out of here." Dragunov stated. "This is our business, and you're just caught in it."

"Precisely, Smirnov."

Before the group, a large man with a wild and unkempt crimson hair flowing down to his back, a chiseled and stubbled face with a massive gash running across his faded left eye, wearing black plate armor with a cardinal-red cape with a pelt of an entire wolf draped around his neck and shoulders, and a white cross emblazoned on it around his shoulders, and in his hands was an extremely long and thin sword, sheathed in an equally long casting, with the words _**Subvertite Omnia Malum**_ (Destroy All Evil) carved onto it.

"... Patrem Inquisitor, _Tokarev Lebedev_!" Dragunov remarked in surprise before bowing to him. "To what in Sephira's glory brings you here?"

"Same reason as I've sent you and Kalashnikov here in the first place; root out the Hellhounds and destroy their nest." Tokarev answered bluntly. "Speaking of which, where's Kalashnikov?"

"Oh, you mean the girl with him?" Yami spoke out. "I think one of my guys took her away to medevac after she got the shit kicked out of her by that guy with the tin men."

 **"DO NOT FALTER! DO NOT FALTER! DO NOT FALTER!"**

 **"WHO WISHES TO DIE NEXT!?"**

"... Reckless as always." Tokarev sighed out in disappointment. "Which, by the way, the _same_ can be said to you, Dragunov."

"... I have no excuses for my incompetence." Dragunov apologized.

"We'll talk later." Tokarev stated. "For now, zero in on Kalashnikov's location."

"I'll help." Charlotte remarked. "Head back to Nean, near the town hall."

"Right, just a sec." Dragunov stated as he aimed his bow towards Nean. "[Spatial Magic: _Sagitta Nuntius_ ]."

The two then hitch a ride on Dragunov's arrow, teleporting all the way back to Nean.

The Patrem Inquisitor then faces Dagda.

"Sup, ya towering bastard?" Dagda greeted Tokarev. "How's it up North?"

"Freezing as usual." Tokarev answered. "What brings you here of all places, Dagda?"

"Wanted to expand my business here, but on the first day, me tavern almost caught on fire." Dagda answered. "Oh, and the beer they serve here is literally comparable to actual piss."

"Not of my concern, then." Tokarev bluntly remarked as he headed towards Romulus's direction.

The other Thaumaturges notice and begin to make way for their leader.

 **"Patrem Inquisitor!"** One of the Thaumaturges greeted as she bowed.

"Stand back." Tokarev ordered as he drew his sword. "Prepare to lay suppressing fire onto the [Messiah]-class with the lance on my command. Until then, keep fire on that Demon in its [Apocryphal Form] until my signal."

 **"Yes sir!"**

The Thaumaturges then begin intensifying their rate of fire onto the massive three-headed Hellhound as he finishes drawing his blade.

"Resuming prior execution." Tokarev stated as his 15-feet-long blade began to glow in an azure-blue flames. "Targeting [Messiah]-class Hellhound in [Apocryphal Form]. Engaging with extreme prejudice."

The man charges in a blinding speed towards the Hellhound.

Tokarev's blade clashes against Semiramis's claws, pressing down against him before he himself shoved the Demon back, which in turn was met with more successive fire from the Thaumaturge's [Firebolt M3]s.

The faux-humanoid on the Demon's tail then lashed out at Tokarev, clashing its bow against his sword.

Tokarev simply forces his blade through the bow's wooden frame before beheading the faux-humanoid then cutting its body frame in half, following it up with his blade severing off the beast's tail before mounting on top of the flailing Hellhound.

Semiramis thrashes around the forest, trying to knock the Patrem Inquisitor off of her back, but Tokarev simply adjusts his footing on her back while moving with grace and precision.

Eventually, Semiramis springs up her back, and sends Tokarev flying into the air, ready to breath out its [Demonic Art: Ladon Flame-Thricefold] onto him.

But the Patrem Inquisitor refused to falter in the face of certain death, for he knew which outcome is certain.

"My sword [Dainsleif, the Demonbane Blade] won't melt against your flames!" Tokarev stated as he plummeted towards Semiramis.

The black flames then exhaust towards Tokarev.

"Thy faith is thy sword, thy conviction is thy shield." Tokarev chanted. "Oh holy mother of mana Sephira, grant me the strength and will to destroy the evil that I face today! In the name of Sephira and her divine radiance, I shall prevail!"

Tokarev's [Dainsleif] then glows even brighter.

 **"[Aura Destruction Magic: Soulpiercer]!"**

The 15-feet blade elongates to that of a _60-feet-long_ blade of holy light, piercing through Semiramis's whole body.

"NOW!" Tokarev roared out his following order. "FIRE!"

The Thaumaturges then switch all of their fire upon Romulus as Semiramis's whole body then begins to burn up into blue flames.

With a bellowing roar, Tokarev then pushes himself further into the Demon's burning body, gradually and slowly carving a hole through her mutated form, and comes out of the other side.

"Farewell, _loveless one_." Tokarev stated as he sheathed [Dainsleif]. "May Sephira's radiance grace you."

The Hellhound then explodes into blue flames before completely disintegrating into ash.

"REARGUARD, LAY SUPPRESSIVE FIRE!" Tokarev barked out his orders. "VANGUARD, FALL BACK! AVOID FRIENDLY FIRE!"

The vanguard Thaumaturges fall back as Romulus was pressed down by cover fire from the rearguard.

Romulus continues to parry away some of the [Mana Bolts], although some grazed past his body, but as he was continuing to deflect the projectiles, he spots Tokarev charging towards him, [Dainsleif] in hand, his glare emitting murderous intent.

"Die Demon."

Tokarev clashes his sword against the Hellhound's [Bident], pushing him across the earth as bolts of concentrated mana flew across them.

 **"TOKAREV!"** Romulus roared out. **"JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"**

"Killing you."

Tokarev and Romulus continue to clash with their weapons.

 **"I HAVE NO TIME TO WASTE UPON THE LIKES OF YOU!"** Romulus roared out furiously.

"Then do all of us a favor, and die."

Tokarev drives a hard kick into Romulus's knee, causing the Hellhound to buckle down, and the Patrem Inquisitor swings down his [Dainsleif] onto Romulus's [Bident].

With a roar, Romulus uses his other leg and sweeps it across Tokarev's own, also causing him to buckle down, right before the two knock each other away from clashing with their weapons.

The other Thaumaturges continue to lay suppressive fire unto the Hellhound, giving time for Tokarev to get back up and charge back towards Romulus.

"[Aura Destruction Magic: Soulbreaker]!"

[Dainsleif] explodes into an arc blue flame, striking the earth, cutting off Romulus's left arm off in the swing's path.

 **"SHIT!"** Romulus cursed as he jumped back away from Tokarev. **"Your [Aura Magic] is something to be feared, slowing down our natural healing factor to a crawl..."**

"More than enough time to kill you in a single stroke."

Tokarev swings down his blade once again, taking out an entire section of the forest as collateral from the impact.

Romulus, now wounded, refocuses on retreating, but that itself was proving rather difficult with the rearguard Thaumaturges continuing to lay cover fire for their vanguard battle brethren after him.

 **"IT'S OUR CHANCE!"** One of the vanguards bellowed out. **"KILL HIM BEFORE HE GETS AWAY!"**

Romulus swings his [Bident] out, sweeping away several vanguard Thaumaturges away, but left his chest open to be riddled with several [Mana Bolts] to stake into his away.

 **"FUCK!"** Romulus howled out as he pulled out one of the [Mana Bolts]. **"FUUUUCCCCKKK!"**

"A fitting final words for a Demon."

Above Romulus, Tokarev was in the air, [Dainsleif] now blazing with a massive pillar of azure blue flames, ready to swing his blade down towards Romulus's neck.

 **"[Aura Destruction Magic: Soulcrusher]."**

The swing arcs into a bright blue flame, swung down like a hammer unto an anvil.

But the swing was stopped before it can cleave through Romulus's neck, by a glowing red dagger with a jagged blade.

"Tiamat..." Tokarev cursed. "About time you showed your face."

 **"And unlike you, I have no time to waste on the likes of you."**

The minuscule Hellhound than parries [Dainsleif] away from her, and hoists Romulus over her tiny shoulder.

"The wielder of [Athame, the Sin Shiv]..." Tokarev scowled. "... My [Dainsleif] will pry such weapon from off of your filthy hands."

Tiamat simply smiles.

 **"Then wait a little longer."**

Tiamat then disembowels herself, unleashing a torrent of tar-colored blood that spilled onto the forest's earth.

"GET AWAY, NOW!" Tokarev barked out as he retreated.

 **"[Summon Magic: Accidental Invocation-Eighth Layer]."**

For the next few seconds, the whole forest fell back to winter, before going completely white, then after the blizzard subsides, Tiamat and Romulus were nowhere to be found.

"... Gòwno. They got away again." Tokarev cursed. "Also, how long do you plan to hide from me, stranger?"

"Oh my, was it too obvious?"

From the trees emerged Julius Novachrono.

"Do forgive me, but I was so engrossed with your magics and techniques that I couldn't help but watch." Julius remarked. "That and well, I get the feeling that you would've told me to not get in the way should I've intervened. After all, the Demons are an unknown to us, so best let the professionals handle it, collateral damage aside."

"You're right on that regard." Tokarev remarked bluntly as he sheathed his [Dainsleif]. "What do you want?"

The Wizard King caresses his chin before answering.

"... Can we talk for a moment?" Julius requested. "You Inquisitors and that Dagda fellow-"

"I'm only sending in Dragunov and Kalashnikov with the bartender." Tokarev replied. "The rest of us are confidential to your curiosity, Wizard King. But if you wish for an address..."

He then hands him a blank sheet of paper before walking away towards the rising sun.

"... Send it through post." Tokarev remarked. "Avalon's hard to miss."

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued..._**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And so, the Hellhound make a hasty retreat after killing off a lot of people.

Needless to say, this chapter was way longer than I thought I anticipated. But after writing Chronicles of the Wayward Tome Hero and getting several pointers from Masked Spider on writing advice, I made this Saga extra-long of content just to keep you all entertained.

Also, Tiamat's little play-along hostage plan was a last-minute inclusion since A, it wouldn't make sense for the leader to fight head on, strategically speaking, doubly so when she has the numerical advantage, so might as well take advantage of the chaos caused, and B, just to drive home that no matter what the Clover Kingdom does to alleviate casualties, the Demons will find a way to make their efforts in vain, just as the Hellhounds always say, they never let their prey get away.

... Except for Tokarev, because the guy's the boss of the Inquisitors for a reason. He's earned that scar over her left eye. Demons fear him, for he's the only one that not only got away, but also surviving and capable of killing them.

Also, another shoutout to **shootingstaria** , I've been collecting your art for my fic on your Tumblr page, and suffice to say, you're awesome as always, and I look forward to more of your works posted at your own leisure!

Also, hypothetical voices (for funsies)!

 **Sargon:** Yoshihisa Kawahara (JPN), Nick Landis/Lanipator (ENG)

 **"True" Tiamat:** Tomoyo Kurosawa (JPN), Maggie Flecknoe (ENG)

 **Tokarev Lebedev:** Kenta Miyake (JPN), Brad Hawkins (ENG)

So what do you guys think of this Saga? Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience are thinking!


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